The European Union has reopened its borders on Wednesday to visitors from 15 countries, but  not to the U.S. where deaths from coronavirus continue to spiral  upward with the toll  nearing 128,000

The list of countries deemed safe enough to allow its residents to enter the EU does not include the United Kingdom, Russia, Brazil or the United States, where the daily death rate from coronavirus exceeds 1,000 for the first time since June 10. In Latin America

Canada Australia, New Zealand  China and Rwanda are on the invitation list, In Latin America, only Uruguay got the green light.

The United States is the country hardest hit by the pandemic, with more than 128,000 deaths from some 2.63 million infections, followed by Brazil (more than 59,000 deaths from more than 1.40 million cases). Over  half a million people  have died worldwide

American infectious disease expert Dr  Anthony Fauci said the United States could hit 100,000 cases a day if the current trend continues. Several states imposed 14 days of quarantine on travelers from other states.

The EU hopes that relaxing restrictions will give some oxygen to tourism, a sector that has been strangled by the ban on non-essential travel since mid-March.

On Wednesday, July 1, hoteliers and restaurateurs saw the return of the first tourists, especially on the islands of Greece, a country that recorded 200 deaths from coronavirus, but whose economy was severely resented by confinement measures.

Romanian Cojan Dragos was "the first tourist" in a Corfu hotel. "We have the entire hotel to ourselves," he told AFP. "It it is sad," he said, but g he hopes to see the arrival of other visitors.

Spain and Portugal reopened their land border, closed since March 16, when the Portuguese country decided to protect itself from the pandemic that was rampant in its neighbor. Portugal is one of the least affected countries in Europe by the pandemic and Spain one of the hardest hit.