EU to open borders to 'safe' countries as pandemic accelerates

The European Union will reopen its borders to a select list of "safe countries" to be confirmed Tuesday, as the WHO warned the pandemic is still accelerating with more than 500,000 deaths worldwide.

Europe's piecemeal reopening comes as countries around the globe struggle to revive economic activity while battling new spikes of the virus, with hotspots still surging in Latin America and in the United States. 

After days of negotiations, EU members are due to finalise the list of some 15 countries, including Australia, Canada, Thailand, Japan, and others, whose citizens will be free to enter the bloc starting on July 1.