VP Mike Pence announced additional coronavirus restrictions to include the United Kingdom and Ireland to the Europe travel restrictions.

European Union envoys are close to finalizing a list of countries whose citizens will be allowed to enter Europe again, possibly from late next week, EU diplomats confirmed Saturday.

The envoys were expected to have narrowed down later Saturday the exact criteria for countries to make the list, which include the way the spread of the virus is being managed.

The number of cases in the United States has surged over the past week, with an all-time high of 45,300 confirmed new daily infections just reached.

The EU diplomats confirmed that an official agreement on the criteria — likely to include a limit on the infection rate per 100,000 citizens — is expected late on Monday or early Tuesday.

Once that happens, restrictions on non-essential travel to Europe, which were imposed in March to halt new virus cases from entering, would gradually be lifted.

The European Commission, which monitors the bloc’s laws, believes that “travel restrictions should not be lifted as regards third countries where the situation is worse” than the average in the 27 EU member countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland

The commission insists that it’s not trying to target any country or that the list might be politicized as tourism-reliant countries around Europe push to get their borders back open again