Most European Union countries are in favor of introducing pre-departure COVID tests for travelers from China, the European Commission said, as Beijing plans to lift restrictions on its citizens despite a wave of COVID infections.
The EU’s non-unusual technique emerged after an assembly on Tuesday of the Health Security Committee, an EU advisory framework made up of national fitness experts from the 27 countries in the framework, chaired by the Commission.
“The vast majority are in favour of pre-departure testing,” a Commission spokesman said.
“These measures will be aimed at the maximum number of suitable flights and airports and will be implemented in a coordinated manner to ensure their effectiveness,” he added.
The Commission on Tuesday prepared a draft proposal for the talks, which included advice to wear masks on flights from China, tracking of sewage for planes from China, genomic surveillance at airports and increased EU surveillance of testing and vaccination.
“This will now be reviewed and followed up on the basis of input from [EU] member states,” the Commission spokesperson said, adding that further discussions on the measures would take place at the EU fitness officers’ assembly on Wednesday afternoon.
The spokesman said all EU countries agreed they needed a coordinated approach to the changing situation in China and to deal with the implications of China’s rise to Europe after Beijing lifted its strict pandemic policies on Jan. 8.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said last week that it recently introduced measures for travelers from China.
He said variants circulating in China were already in the EU, European citizens had the highest levels of vaccination and the likelihood of imported infections was low compared to daily infections in the EU as health systems are coping lately.