European Union (EU) sees the screening of travelers from China as unjustified despite announcement by The United States, Japan, Taiwan and India.
Recently, the United States, Japan, Taiwan, and India announced mandatory testing as China deals with the Covid surge.
On Thursday, Italy urged the rest of the European Union to follow its lead and ensure that arrivals from China were tested and even quarantined if need be.
However, the EU’s disease agency has stated that the screening of travelers from China for COVID-19 would be unjustified.
The European Center for Disease control and prevention (ECDC) added that they will remain vigilant and will be ready to use the emergency brake if necessary.
Just like Italy, each nation is free to make its policies though European Union can issue recommendations on the covid-19.
Giorgia Meloni- Italian Prime Minister said Italy’s effort to curb Covid-19 undermined if other European Union countries did not follow suit.
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See a statement by the European Center for Disease Control and prevention.
- High levels of Covid in China are anticipated given the country’s low immunity and recent relaxation of its rules
- But higher immunity in the EU means a Covid surge in China is not expected to impact the bloc
- The Covid-19 variants circulating in China are already circulating in the EU
- Potential imported infections from China are “rather low” compared to the number of infections already occurring in the EU
- And citizens in the bloc have relatively high vaccination and immunization
- Concerns were raised after Chinese authorities decided to let people travel more freely from 8 January, after almost three years of closed borders.
- EU health officials held talks in Brussels on Thursday to co-ordinate any response.
While in the UK, a minister said the issue was “under review”.
Meanwhile, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention maintained that said testing visitors from China, Hong Kong, and Macau was needed to help slow the spread of the virus.
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