(Reuters) – Belgium will test wastewater from planes arriving from China for brand spanking new COVID variants as part of latest steps against the spread of the coronavirus as infections in China surge, the federal government announced on Monday.
“This can be a further monitoring objective to confirm that the info we receive from China is accurate,” Steven Van Gucht of the Sciensano national public health institute told Reuters.
He said Belgium was aware that some COVID-infected passengers won’t use the bathroom during their flights, and due to this fact the brand new measure was “not meant to trace people but to trace independently what is occurring in China.”
Belgium can be asking travellers from China to check themselves for COVID-19 in the event that they show symptoms seven days after arriving, but won’t implement this measure.
At a press conference announcing the brand new measures, Belgian Health minister Frank Vandenbroucke said that a European Union-wide policy was needed towards China’s COVID surge.
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EU health officials will hold talks on Wednesday on a coordinated response.
Authorities world wide are imposing or considering curbs on travellers from China, including mandatory testing for COVID, as infections there spread following Beijing’s leisure of “zero-COVID” rules.
(Reporting by Charlotte Van Campenhout; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
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