Senegal bans EU nationals after being blacklisted

ANKARA

Senegal announced Friday it will not re-open its airspace to EU travelers after the bloc did not include it on a list of “safe” states due to the coronavirus, according media reports.

The EU issued a list Tuesday of 15 nations considered safe Tuesday, taking into account “epidemiological criteria,” including Africa nations with a high number of confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths, such as Algeria and Morocco, the Africa News website reported Friday.

The EU'S list included only the African nations of Rwanda, Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria, according to the website.

Dakar declared a ban on travelers from the EU states Wednesday, issued by Minister of Tourism and Air Transport Alioune Sarr without providing further details.

Gabon also issued a similar ban on EU citizens.

Senegal confirmed 7,054 COVID-19 cases with 125 deaths, according to data compiled by US-based John Hopkins University.

Algeria has 14,657 COVID-19 cases with 928 deaths

The number of diagnosed cased in Morocco is 13,215, with 230 fatalities.