Despite the fact that the lack of coordination in the measures to stop the spread of coronavirus was the dominant note during the first stages of the pandemic, everything indicates that the EU stumbles again with the same stone. While Italy has decided to request a negative coronavirus test from all travelers from China Given the explosion of cases in the Asian country, Spain distances itself from these types of requirements and It adds to the caution of the rest of the European capitals, which continue to defoliate the daisy on what to do.
The Community Executive has convened this Thursday a meeting with representatives of the healing ministries of the Twenty-seven with the aim of giving a coordinated response. Despite appeals to unity, the meeting ended without any new decisions being announced and with Rome as the only capital that has decided to take this step of new restrictions. “It is crucial that the EU acts together and in coordination on public security measures in relation to the situation in China. The Commission will continue to facilitate discussions between the Member States and remains prepared to convene more meetings if necessary”, a spokesperson for the Community Executive has limited itself to announcing at the end of this meeting, held when the Community institutions are almost without activity due to the holidays Christmas.
sources of Spanish Ministry of Health explain that our country has stressed in this meeting “the importance of continue the path of European coordination in health policies” and that the Spanish authorities recommend “travelers whose destination or origin is China have the complete vaccination schedule and that they maintain precautionary measures.”
Focus on virus sequencing
At the moment, prudence is imposed but the same sources assure that European countries “have insisted on the importance of continuing active surveillance, including virus sequencing as a fundamental tool.” In this regard, panic has not yet arrived.
Italian Prime Minister, Girogia Meloni, has assured this Thursday that no no new virus mutations have been detected in the country in passengers from China who have tested positive, despite the fact that half of the samples have already been analyzed and all correspond to Ómicron, the last known strain. The transalpine authorities decided to take this step after detecting that almost half of the passengers on journeys from China were infected with coronavirus.
Milan’s main airport, Malpensa, began carrying out these tests on December 26 for travelers from Beijing and Shanghai. The Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino international airport, just outside Rome, has also established a protocol to isolate those who test positive for this disease. The transalpine country became the epicenter of infections of the pandemic in Europe during the month of March 2020 and Rome does not want to see the wolf’s ears again, although it also calls on the rest of the European countries to set up a common mechanism.
Five countries take action
Italy is not the only country in the world that has decided to take these measures. United States, Japan, India and Malaysia They have also announced the launch of restrictions on travelers from China, after the country has relaxed its zero covid policy.
Despite the protests unleashed in the Asian giant by the draconian measures to prevent the spread of the virus, China is being overwhelmed in recent days by the vertiginous increase in cases after the gradual end of the restrictions.s. Authorities have announced that as of January 8, quarantine will no longer be necessary for travelers arriving from abroad, which has increased the number of Chinese eager to leave the country.
Perkin views the measures taken by some Western countries with discomfort. Wan Wenbin, the spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, has pointed out that response measures must be “peaceful and just” since “the current development of the Chinese epidemiological situation is predictable and controlled.” The Asian giant still does not allow the entry of foreign visitors and keeps visas for tourists and students suspended while its hospitals continue to register more and more cases.
Despite the fact that the EU’s response lies in not falling into alarmism, diplomatic sources recall that European countries have already agreed on an “emergency brake” that can be activated to reintroduce restrictions in a coordinated manner if the epidemiological situation worsens. They want to avoid a new cascade of unilateral measures, although Italy has already distanced itself from the rest.
Spain distances itself from Italy and will not ask travelers from China for tests