BRUSSELS - European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday that she had proposed a temporary restriction on non-essential travel to the European Union (EU), as escalations have been seen in both COVID-19 cases and containment measures.

"The restriction should be in place for an initial period of 30 days, which can be prolonged as necessary," said von der Leyen.

The proposal is expected to be discussed by leaders of EU member states during a video conference on Tuesday.

Following the news from the EU, the French presidency announced on Monday that measures will be announced in the coming hours on the external borders of the EU.

The decision on the EU's external borders is pending, but more European countries have joined the list of countries closing their borders to all but essential travel.

Germany has partly closed its borders with France, Austria, and Switzerland on Monday morning.

And more and more countries moved to close their borders in the hope of cutting off the cross-border transmission of the virus.