BRUSSELS –
European Union nations will try again on Wednesday to come up with a coordinated approach on whether authorities should screen passengers arriving from China for any variables. any new potential COVID-19 after several member states announced individual efforts over the past week.
Belgium said late Monday that it would test wastewater from planes arriving from China to see if it yielded new clues about any potentially dangerous variations. It said it would encourage travelers from China who are not feeling well to take a COVID-19 test.
Belgian Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke said more needs to be done, but only in a coordinated approach among the 27 member states. He told the VRT network: “It would be a good signal for China if all the EU countries said together: ‘If you go to Europe, you have to be tested first.
Sweden, which holds the EU’s rotating presidency, said officials from member states would hold a General Political Crisis Response meeting on Wednesday to see if the entry requirements in the whole block is necessary or not.
Swedish Health Minister Jakob Forssmed said: “It is important for us to quickly apply the necessary measures.
EU countries France, Spain and Italy have announced independent measures to implement tougher COVID-19 measures against passengers arriving from China.
The French government is requiring a negative test and urging French citizens to avoid non-essential travel to China. France is also reintroducing mask requirements on flights from China to France.
The Spanish government has said it will require all air passengers arriving from China to have a negative test result or proof of vaccination. Italy is the first EU member to require coronavirus testing for air passengers arriving from China, but some other countries say such measures may not be the best option to protect citizens. local because new variants coming from China have now appeared in Europe, often for many months.
The United States announced new COVID-19 testing requirements on Wednesday for all travelers from China, along with several Asian countries that have imposed restrictions because of a surge in infections. .
