BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union countries will try again Wednesday to form a coordinated approach on whether and how authorities should screen airline passengers arriving from China for any new COVID-19 variants after several member states announced individual effort during the past week.
Belgium said late Monday it would check sewage from planes arriving from China to see if it yields new clues about any potentially dangerous variants. He said he would encourage visitors from China who are unwell to get tested for COVID-19.
READ MORE: China’s lack of information on the rise of COVID raises global concern
More must be done, but only in a coordinated approach among the 27 member states, said Belgian Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke. “It would be a good signal to China if all the EU countries said together: ‘If you come to Europe, you have to be tested first,'” he told the VRT network.
Sweden, which holds the EU’s rotating presidency, said officials from member states will hold an Integrated Political Crisis Response meeting on Wednesday to see if bloc-wide entry requirements are necessary.
“It is important that we take the necessary measures quickly,” said Swedish Health Minister Jakob Forssmed.
EU countries France, Spain and Italy have already announced independent measures to implement tougher COVID-19 measures for passengers arriving from China.
READ MORE: France, Spain to require negative COVID tests for Chinese passengers
The French government is seeking negative tests and urging French citizens to avoid non-essential travel to China. France is also reintroducing mask requirements on flights from China to France.
Spain’s government said it would require all air passengers arriving from China to have negative tests or proof of vaccination. Italy was the first EU member to require coronavirus tests for airline passengers arriving from China, but some others have said such measures may not be the best option to protect the local population as variants of the clouds now coming from China have already been in Europe, often for many months.
The United States on Wednesday announced new COVID-19 testing requirements for all travelers from China, joining several Asian countries that have imposed restrictions due to a surge in infections.
