One graphic explains why Americans are facing an EU travel ban

(CNN) - US tourists will be excluded from visiting the European Union after the bloc finalized its list of 15 safe countries for travel to member states on Tuesday.

The EU has formally agreed a set of recommendations for the nationalities of travelers that should be allowed to enter its borders, effective from July 1 -- and the US is not included.

And while US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has stressed the "importance" of reconnecting the US and EU during the coronavirus pandemic, one graphic shows exactly why European countries are shutting Americans out.

The two curves clearly show the EU and US heading in opposite directions in dealing with the Covid-19 outbreak. New confirmed daily cases in the EU peaked around mid-March and are on a clear downward trend, with cases below 10,000 for more than a month. In the US, new cases are on a steep upward trajectory.

Many European countries went into a strict lockdown early, and EU nations have been reopening gradually and cautiously as their cases numbers decline.

Health experts have repeatedly warned that some states in the US were reopening far too soon, while some administration officials said US President Donald Trump and his aides were "in denial" about the seriousness of the pandemic.