European Union nations will try again on Wednesday to mold a coordinated approach on if and how authorities should check incoming airline passengers from China for any new COVID-19 variants after several member nations announced individual efforts over the past week.
Belgium said late Monday it would be checking wastewater
from planes coming in from China to see if it yields new clues about any
potentially dangerous variants. It said that it would urge visitors from China
who do not feel well to take a COVID-19 test.
More should be done, but only in a coordinated approach
among the 27 member states, said Belgian Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke.
“It would be a good signal toward China if all EU nations would say together:
’If you come to Europe you have to be tested first,” he told VRT network.
Sweden, which holds the rotating EU presidency, said officials
from the member states will hold an Integrated Political Crisis Response
meeting on Wednesday to see if entry requirements throughout the bloc are
necessary.
“It is important that we get the necessary measures in place
quickly,” said Swedish Health Minister Jakob Forssmed.
EU nations France, Spain and Italy have already announced
independent measures to implement tougher COVID-19 measures for passengers
arriving from China.
France’s government is requiring negative tests, and is
urging French citizens to avoid nonessential travel to China. France is also
reintroducing mask requirements on flights from China to France.
Spain’s government said it would require all air passengers
coming from China to have negative tests or proof of vaccination. Italy was the
first EU member in requiring coronavirus tests for airline passengers coming
from China, but several others have said such measures might not be the best
option to protect local populations since new variants now coming from China
have already been around in Europe, often for many months.
The United States announced new COVID-19 testing
requirements Wednesday for all travelers from China, joining some Asian nations
that had imposed restrictions because of a surge of infections.
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