EU 'strongly encourages', doesn't mandate, nations to impose Covid rules on Chinese travellers

European Union nations have drawn out various travel-related measures for people travelling from China, although no country is bound to implement them. At a crisis meeting held Wednesday, officials recommended that passengers flying from China to the EU should have a negative COVID-19 test before they board. They also made recommendations on facemasks and wastewater surveillance of flights coming from China.

The measures came from EU's Integrated Political Crisis Response group (IPCR). As per the decision reached Wednesday, EU countries will recommend all passengers on flights to and from China to wear high-grade face masks, along with briefing them on other health and hygiene measures.

However, the problem with the agreement is that it doesn't make it mandatory for any member country to follow the laid out guidelines.

EU countries have been “strongly encouraged” to enforce negative pre-departure tests 48 hours before leaving China. Similarly, random testing of passengers arriving from China and sequencing of samples is "encouraged", as per the agreement.

The IPCR said that, together with the European Centre for Disease Control, the Commission's foreign affairs department and the World Health Organisation will continue to monitor the situation in the EU as well as the developments in China.

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

The European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC) had earlier said that no new measures were needed since the variants circulating in China were already in the European Union. The body has also said EU citizens had relatively high vaccination levels and the potential for imported infections was low compared to daily infections in the EU, with healthcare systems currently coping.

Meanwhile, China has already warned that any restrictions on Chinese travellers are unacceptable and will invite countermeasures from the country.

(With inputs from agencies)

WATCH WION LIVE HERE