The European Commission has convened an emergency meeting today in order to "discuss (…) possible measures to have a coordinated approach" of EU member states in the face of the explosion of new coronavirus cases in China.
"In light of the pandemic situation in China", the Commission is organizing a special committee meeting this morning made up of representatives of the 27 health ministries, a spokeswoman told AFP.
The purpose is to "discuss with the member states and the (health) services of the EU possible measures so that there is a coordinated European approach", he explained.
After the sudden end of the "zero COVID" policy in China at the beginning of the month, which led to a very large wave of infections, several countries are expressing concern about the risk of new variants of SARS-CoV-2 spreading from the giant Asian country to the rest of the world. XNUMX.
Italy already decided yesterday Wednesday to oblige all travelers coming from Chinese territory to be tested. A measure that had already been announced by Japan and the US also adopted yesterday.
Elsewhere in the EU, a wait-and-see attitude is being maintained: French President Emmanuel Macron has asked for "tailored measures to protect" the French from his government, which has assured that it is "monitoring the development of the situation in China very carefully".
Paris says it is "ready to consider all useful measures that could be implemented", in consultation "with its European partners" and "within the legal framework that exists today".
The European Commission wants to avoid the possibility that some EU governments act like lone riders, adopting border restrictions without coordination, just as happened in the first stage of the pandemic, in the spring of 2020.
At the beginning of the month, following a proposal from the Commission, the 27 agreed to remove all restrictions on the entry of travelers from so-called third countries into the EU, in other words to return to the pre-pandemic situation.
Reserved, however, for the possibility of re-imposing measures, "in a coordinated manner", if the epidemiological situation requires it.
“Omicron's BF.7 sub-variant which is dominant in China is already present in Europe and is not showing significant growth. However, we continue to be vigilant" and "we are ready" to take restrictive measures again "if necessary", explained the representative of the European Commission.
Source: Euronews