European nations are considering new travel requirements from China after Beijing lifted Covid restrictions.
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European nations on Wednesday recommended imposing new restrictions on travelers from China amid fears of a rise in Covid cases.
Passengers departing from China will likely be required to show a negative Covid test before leaving the country if they are heading to one of the 27 EU countries. They will also likely be asked to wear face masks during flights and potentially subject to random testing upon arrival.
“Member states have agreed on a coordinated precautionary approach in light of Covid-19 developments in China,” said a statement issued on Wednesday, following a meeting of EU officials that lasted several hours.
Health policy is the responsibility of each government. It is up to individual capitals to decide whether they will follow EU recommendations. Several EU countries have already stepped up their protective measures against potential new cases from China.
Officials in China have critical recently imposed testing requirements on travelers from the country and threatened to take reciprocal countermeasures. China currently requires foreign visitors to produce a negative Covid-19 test before entering the country, as well as an eight-day quarantine after arrival. Beijing aims to scrap the trust requirement this next weekend, but will continue to require foreign visitors to show proof of negative Covid-19 tests. In December, it also announced that it would resume issuing visas to residents for travel abroad.
The US, India, UK, Japan and Australia have all announced tougher measures for travelers from China in a bid to prevent a rise in Covid cases.
Italy was among the first EU countries to take action following Beijing’s abrupt abandonment of strict measures that had been in place for much of the pandemic.
Rome, one of the hardest hit in Europe by the pandemic, ordered mandatory testing last week. France and Spain had also adopted similar positions.
The latest initiative from the European Commission, the executive arm of the EU, aims to coordinate rules across the region.
At the end of December, the Chinese authorities announced that they would resume issuing visas to residents for travel abroad. They also said travelers arriving in China would no longer have to self-quarantine.
However, China has seen an increase in Covid infections since November and there are concerns about the level of immunization of its population. The country has nine domestically developed vaccines, according to Reuters, but these have not been updated for the omicron variant, which is considered highly infectious.
European authorities have offered to send vaccines to China, but Beijing has yet to respond, according to a spokesperson for the European Commission.
The commission’s spokesperson told CNBC that the EU has reached out through its delegation in Beijing “to offer solidarity and support, including through the sharing of public health expertise and donations of European vaccines tailored to the variants. “.
Asked on Tuesday about Europe’s offer to supply Covid vaccines, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning replied: “China has set up the largest production lines of Covid vaccines in the world with an annual production capacity of more than 7 billion doses and an annual production of more than 5.5 billion doses, which meet the needs of ensuring that all people eligible for vaccination have access to Covid vaccines.
“The Covid situation in China is predictable and under control,” she added.
Correction: This story has been updated to reflect that European officials on Wednesday recommended pre-flight testing for travelers from China.
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