Thread by @DaveKeating

🇪🇺 now opening up to vaccinated tourists from 🇺🇸. But 🇺🇸 is not returning the favor.

DC source doesn't expect US ban on Europeans (even those vaccinated) to end before *Autumn* at the earliest.

A lingering effect of exaggerated media coverage of 🇪🇺 vaccine situation?

Thread.

Looking at current 🇺🇸 entry ban list, we can see this is largely based on politics rather than caseloads.

Problem is, once you tell your citizens people from country X pose a danger to their health, it's politically difficult to end the ban.

But that's what EU is doing for US.

So, why will Europe remain on US ban list when its vaccination rate will soon be same as 🇺🇸? Is it an effect of months of exaggerated coverage of EU vax situation?

Here's situation now. 🇪🇺 expected to catch up with 🇺🇸 by July. 2 🇪🇺 countries already more vaccinated than 🇺🇸.

Why won't US let in vaccinated people from 🇪🇺 this summer when they'll have same vax rate? Maybe Americans haven't gotten the memo.

Anglophone media was full of stories about an "EU vaccine disaster" early this year. Now that EU vaccination is going well, no updated coverage.

So US gov thinking may be: we know Europe will be at same vaccination level as us soon, but opening up to them might be unpopular because Americans still have impression from anglophone media that there is a vax disaster there.

It's not worth the political risk this summer.

European countries are *much* more dependent on international tourism than US. So this unfair non-reciprocal reopening may make sense from an economic perspective.

But I know many Europeans who want to go to 🇺🇸 this summer who are furious about this. whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/…

Some of those furious Europeans, who have been separated from friends & family for over a year, have started a petition asking @JoeBiden to end the US ban on Europeans.

It's an issue that hasn't gotten attention in US media yet. A petition could help.
change.org/p/joe-biden-ti…