Henley Index: Japan Tops 2020 List of World's Most Powerful Passports

CNN published an article on the Q3 2020 Henley Passport Index (HPI) highlighting the disruption Covid-19 is causing to global mobility and pointing out that before Covid-19 struck, the world was enjoying greater freedom of movement than at any time in history. Some countries are cautiously reopening borders, and the EU has published a list of 14 countries whose residents may enter the bloc, but while high-ranking countries on the HPI such as Japan (1^st) , South Korea (2^nd) , and Australia and Canada (joint-9^th) are listed, the US (7^th) is conspicuously absent. The article quotes Dr. Christian H. Kälin as saying that the impact of the EU's recent decision will be far-reaching. "As we have already seen, the pandemic's impact on travel freedom has been more drastic and long-lasting than initially anticipated. This latest decision by the EU indicates that there is more upheaval to come."