EU recommends Covid test for visitors from China

BRUSSELS – The European nations have recommended that before entering the region, visitors from China be asked to produce a negative Covid test report.

EU's Integrated Political Crisis Response group (IPCR) - a body made up of officials from the EU's 27 governments - said Wednesday that before boarding the plane to Europe, the passengers should have negative Covid test report. 

The recommendations seem to be continuation of what was suggested by the European Commission and could mean that China-EU ties are meant to deteriorate considering that China is easing the restrictions at one end but is facing tough measures from across the world.

The recommendations from IPCR come as increasing number of Covid cases are appearing; it has also been recommended that all passengers on flights to and from China should wear face masks.

The body has also proposed that EU governments should introduce random testing of passengers arriving from China and that they test and sequence wastewater in airports with international flights and planes arriving from China.

"The Member States agree to assess the situation and review the introduced measures by mid-January 2023," the IPCR said in statement.

Though a region with 27 countries, health policy comes under the jurisdiction of individual governments. The recommendations are not binding as the countries are open to deviate. This comes on top of the fact that multiple EU countries had already ramped up their protection measures against potential new cases from China.

For instance, Italy had already started testing the passengers for Covid even before the recommendations. The country had put in place restrictions as early as December 28.  Interestingly, among one of the first flights subjected to testing, over a third of all of its passengers tested positive for the virus. On another flight, half of the passengers tested positive, confirming that the measures were not taken in haste.

US, India, UK, Japan and Australia have already announced tough measures for visitors from China.

On the other hand, Beijing has been critical of the measures already imposed. It has also threatened to take countermeasures. The country is slated to open up from January 8 despite surge in cases.