HOLIDAYMAKERS from the UK would be banned from visiting EU countries after Brexit under current Covid-19 restrictions.
Few countries are exempt from the EU Commission rules, which bar non-essential visits from outside the EU and EEA.
The commission has indicated the UK will not be exempt from these rules when the Brexit transition period ends on December 31.
People from Australia, New Zealand and South Korea, and other countries with very low coronavirus infection rates, are not restricted from visiting the bloc.
READ MORE: Scotland faces the ‘worst of all worlds’ from UK Government's Brexit plans
Asked if the exemption would be extended to include the UK, an EU Commission spokesman said: “This is a decision for the council to make.”
According to The Financial Times Norway has also pledged to ban visitors from the UK after the end of the transition period.
Under the EU rules people will still be able to travel there in certain cases, mainly for work, study, transit and urgent family reasons.
A spokesperson for the UK Government commented: “We cannot comment on decisions that could be taken by other states on public health matters.
“We take a scientific, risk-based approach to health measures at the border, and it is of course in the interests of all countries to allow safe international travel as we emerge from the pandemic.”
It comes after Boris Johnson travelled to Brussels for dinner with Ursula Von Der Leyen in an effort to secure a Brexit deal.
“Large gaps” are said to remain between the UK and EU following the meal. If a deal is not agreed by the end of the week preparations for a No-Deal will need to be significantly ramped up.
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