European nations are taking a look at latest travel requirements from China after Beijing lifted Covid restrictions.
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European nations on Wednesday really helpful imposing latest restrictions on travelers from China amid fears of a rise in Covid cases.
Passengers departing from China will likely need to present a negative Covid test before leaving the country if heading toward certainly one of the 27 EU countries. They can even likely be asked to wear facial masks through the flights and potentially be subjected to random testing on arrival.
“The Member States agreed on a coordinated precautionary approach in the sunshine of Covid-19 developments in China,” said an announcement issued Wednesday, following a gathering of EU officials that lasted several hours.
Health policy comes under the jurisdiction of individual governments. It’s as much as the varied capitals to choose whether they are going to follow EU recommendations. Several EU nations have already stepped up their protection measures against potential latest cases from China.
Officials in China have criticized recently imposed testing requirements on travelers from the country and threatened to take reciprocal countermeasures. China currently requires foreign visitors to provide a negative Covid-19 test before entering the country, in addition to to quarantine for eight days following their arrival. Beijing targets to scrap the confinement requirement this coming weekend, but will proceed to demand proof of negative Covid-19 tests from visitors from abroad. In December, it also said it will restart issuing visas for residents to travel abroad.
The U.S., India, U.K., Japan and Australia have all announced tougher measures on travelers from China in a bid to stop a surge in Covid cases.
Italy was among the many first EU nations to take motion within the aftermath of Beijing abruptly abandoning strict measures that were in place for much of the pandemic.
Rome, certainly one of the toughest hit in Europe by the pandemic, ordered compulsory testing last week. France and Spain had also taken similar stances.
The newest move by the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, goals to coordinate rules across the region.
In late December, Chinese authorities said they might restart issuing visas for residents to travel abroad. In addition they said travelers arriving in China would now not need to quarantine.
Nonetheless, China has experienced an increase in Covid infections since November and there are concerns concerning the level of immunization amongst its population. The country has nine vaccines developed domestically, based on Reuters, but these haven’t been updated for the omicron variant, considered highly infectious.
European authorities offered to send vaccines to China, but Beijing has not yet responded, based on a spokesperson for the European Commission.
The commission spokesperson told CNBC that the EU had reached out via its delegation in Beijing “to supply solidarity and support, including through sharing of public health expertise and variant-adapted EU vaccine donations.”
Asked on Tuesday concerning the offer from Europe to offer Covid vaccines, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning replied, “China has established the world’s largest production lines of Covid vaccines with an annual production capability of over 7 billion doses and an annual output of over 5.5 billion doses, which meet the needs of ensuring that each one people eligible for vaccination have access to Covid vaccines.”
“China’s Covid situation is predictable and under control,” she added.
Correction: This story has been updated to reflect that European officials on Wednesday really helpful pre-flight testing of travelers from China.
