The European Union (EU) Council on Thursday, January 28, listed Rwanda among countries whose non-essential travelers are allowed to enter EU member countries.

This is not the first time Rwanda has been named on this list. The country featured on the same list in June and October last year.

The criteria based on for a country to feature on the list include the epidemiological situation and containment measures in that given country. The list is reviewed and updated every two weeks.

Besides Rwanda, countries like Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, and Thailand among others were also given a green light to travel to EU member countries.

Though the Council recommends EU member countries to gradually lift non-essential travels to the listed countries, member countries remain responsible to implement the recommendation or not.

However, according to the Council, a member state should not decide to lift the travel restrictions for non-listed third countries before deciding on the move in a coordinated manner.

Meanwhile, Rwanda on Thursday ranked sixth among countries that handled Covid-19 outbreak best, according to a new analysis.

The COVID Performance Index, by the Lowy Institute, a think-tank based in Australia, ranked 98 countries and found that smaller populations and capable institutions were the most important factors in managing the global pandemic.

Rwanda is the only African country in the top ten, with the other countries on the list including Thailand, Cyprus, Iceland, and Australia.

The country currently has 14,166 total confirmed cases of Covid-19, of whom 9,042 have completely recovered. The country’s Covid-19 death toll stands at 183.