E.U. Finalizing International Travel Restrictions
QUEST: Hello, I'm Richard Quest as more QUEST MEANS BUSINESS for you in just a moment. Barnes and Noble opens or plans to open its doors to readers for the first time since the pandemic began, and the Chief Executive of Barnes and Noble on how things have changed, what people are reading, the things that did and did not sell during the course of online, and what changes they will make? And the U.S. deciding which countries will be allowed to visit the union. And once their borders reopen, the U.S. we're told, and pretty much everybody knows, is not on that list, and the implications for that. All of that comes after I've updated you with the news headlines because this is CNN. And on this network, the news always comes first. China's taking serious action by placing 400,000 people into lockdown after a handful of coronavirus cases were found there, Beijing in Hubei Province. Official said, earlier outbreak in the capital believe just spawned from a wholesale food market is basically contained. A win today for abortion rights advocates in the United States, the Supreme Court narrowly blocked a law that tightly restricted access to abortions in Louisiana. The critics said that almost a medically necessary and would have closed nearly every clinic that provides abortions in the state. A separatist group said it's carried out an attack on the Pakistan Stock Exchange in Karachi. Four gunmen attempted to storm the facility on Monday, killing at least five security guards. The government also killed and authorities say the attack is being investigated. A French Quarter sentence the Former Prime Minister Francois Fillon to five years in prison, three of them suspended and have defined -- excuse me, he was found guilty of misusing public funds by paying his wife and children big salaries for little or no work. His wife was also convicted. Together they plan to appeal. E.U. officials are finalizing the travel restrictions which countries will be allowed to enter the European Union and which ones will not. Diplomats have given CNN a preliminary list, the 15 allowed in: including China, if they let tourists visit, they're notably excluded, of course, is the United States where the infection rate is too high? Tom Jenkins is the CEO of European Tourism Association joins me from London. So, is that your understanding too, of the other countries that will and will not be allowed within the bubble?</s>TOM JENKINS, CEO, EUROPEAN TOURISM: In broad terms, that's my understanding. The United States, unfortunately, for reasons which the news has just been pointing out, is suffering a mild resurgence and this has disturbed the politicians in Europe. I think it's important to recognize that the ban is currently in place. I mean, Europeans cannot go to America and Americans cannot visit Europe at the moment. The question is whether they should ease this, this restriction. And it looks like it's going to be used for a few countries, but not the United States.</s>QUEST: The criteria for easing of course, was that there had to be equality, if you like, of standards, in terms of the rate of infection and so on. And are you happy that sufficient countries are now involved in what one might call a mega Euro bubble, that Europe can have a half decent summer season.</s>JENKINS: Europe will not have a half-decent summer season. It might have a quarter decent summer season. What the commission has done is really stepped into the driving seat for the first time in three or four months and told the member states of the Schengen area that they really have to relax their borders between themselves and they've also coordinated a response to the rest of the world and this is what was seen as a result of this, the commission really taking control of the situation. I have to say that the moment, this is not a good moment for international travel, even if there were no restrictions in place. There's not much demand out there. And the sad thing is, is that the market for, the market for European-America is probably worth about $60 billion for Europe. And the market for America in Europe is worth about $50 billion, and this is 110-billion-dollar business, which is currently going west. And I even if they relaxed restrictions, we'd be very lucky to see a quarter of that business by the end of the year.</s>QUEST: Tom, looking at the guidelines that are being introduced, the Tall Care Guidelines, a lot of them are primarily what will my dog give you say, you know, the sort of stuff we've had to do all along frequent washing of hands, wearing of masks, health declaration forms on arrival. But, but, but are you concerned that once people get on holiday, as we've seen here in the United States, all that good wishes and well-being goes out the window, and you have people on beaches in bars and cafes, to Verners and the like, and the rate of infection goes up again.</s>JENKINS: Well, I think that the, the main risk, frankly, in travel and as any travel, not international travel, I think, through ordinary. The international travel is being, is being too detailed as being particularly pernicious. Any travel contains risks. Of course, people have to be responsible. I think arguably, the biggest risk is at the transport nodes at the airports on the aircraft. But in broad terms, I think people have to start enjoying themselves and I think the infection rate from these areas is not that high. I don't think you'll find that the infection rate that's climbing at the moment is due to people enjoying themselves. I think it's due to other factors</s>QUEST: But I guess the, the issue here is how far tour operators, and destinations, and hotels are going to be enforcing. Yes, and that is the word, forcing, these social restrictions and guidelines, rather than looking the other way, as there have been in say, many, many places in the U.S. I mean, look, you saw the pictures from Bournemouth at the weekend, I think it was in the U.K. One nice weekend, and it all goes up in the air.</s>JENKINS: But the answer there, that isn't -- I feel like almost, you made me feel like a</s>QUEST: Tom, well, as the summer progresses, we shall talk more, because this is one that --</s>JENKINS: I'm happy to be your hostage. Thank you.</s>QUEST: Thank you, Tom. Joining me. And just before we get to a break, you might notice is once again, like I've said several times on this program, that you do find that the long tail of coronavirus is you do, it's like a tornado that goes through the body. And these run a rack of damage and that's occasionally you'll see me cough my way through things but it's nothing to be concerned about as the doctors have told me. As we continue, Brookstone is making major changes on the bookstores as well. The CEO of Barnes and Noble is here on the future of book browsing and buying, in a moment.