The member states of the European Union agreed to lift restrictions on travelers coming from 8 countries and regions, including the United States and Lebanon, and Paris lifted the mandatory wearing of the muzzle, and Moscow obligated service employees to receive the anti-Covid-19 vaccine, while the deaths in the pandemic until today, Wednesday, reached more than 3.8 million.

The list of countries exempted from the ban on travel to Europe has been expanded to include Albania, North Macedonia, Serbia, Lebanon, the United States, Taiwan, Macau and Hong Kong, according to the sources.

The bloc's member states can still choose whether to require travelers from these areas to undergo COVID-19 tests or impose quarantines;

But once the new list is approved, the recommendation will be to exclude them from the general travel ban.

The European Union has closed its external borders to non-essential travel since March, and over the past year has developed a periodically updated list of non-member countries whose residents are allowed to travel to Europe.

The list includes Japan, Australia, Israel, New Zealand, Rwanda, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand.

Paris and the abolition of the muzzle

In France, Prime Minister Jean Castix announced, today, Wednesday, that putting masks abroad will not be mandatory, as of tomorrow, Thursday;

Except in certain circumstances such as gatherings, crowded places or sports stadiums.

He also announced the lifting of the curfew set at 11:00 pm, starting next Sunday.

After the defense and ministerial councils convened, the Prime Minister clarified that this decision had been taken;

Because the health situation is "improving faster than we expected".

Castix added that about 35 million French people are supposed to have received a full vaccination by the end of August, and it is also assumed that 40 million first doses have been given by the same date.

And in Spain, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez pledged today, Wednesday, that the outdoor muzzle placement, which has been very strict since the end of the first wave of the epidemic, will be abolished “soon.”

Moscow and vaccination

In Russia, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin ordered today, Wednesday, to make vaccination mandatory for residents of the capital working in the service sector, citing a "dangerous" increase in the number of infections.

"We simply have to do everything necessary to carry out mass vaccinations in the shortest possible time, stop this terrible disease, and prevent the deaths of thousands of people," Sobyanin wrote in a blog.

Today, Russia announced 13,397 new cases of COVID-19 within 24 hours, including 396 deaths.

So far, less than 13% of the population has received at least one dose, with Russians skeptical of the local Sputnik-V vaccine.

As for North Korea, the country's leader, Kim Jong Un, admitted that his country is facing a "tense food situation," according to official media reported Wednesday.

Japan and determine the number of audience

In Japan, the authorities will allow up to 10,000 fans to attend events, including sports, according to the minister responsible for Corona, Yasutoshi Nishimura.

The measure, which the authorities intend to put into effect this week, will be a benchmark for the Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee (July 23 - August 8) on the number of local fans if they are allowed to attend the Games after banning foreign fans.

The Corona virus has killed more than 3.8 million people in the world since the end of December 2019, according to a census conducted by the French Press Agency based on official sources on Wednesday.

With the gradual return to life around the world, the gates of the Taj Mahal, the most prominent tourist attraction in India, reopened today, Wednesday, after the number of new cases of Covid-19 decreased after two months of closure due to a deadly viral wave in the country.