Arrivals from China: Medical officers are demanding Europe-wide testing

In view of the current corona wave in China, the German medical officers are calling for a Europe-wide test obligation for all travelers from the country. According to a report, the EU is offering China a free vaccine.

The German medical officers are calling for a uniform corona test requirement in the European Union for all travelers from China. In the event of an explosive spread, as is currently the case in China, one must expect the virus to mutate, said Johannes Nießen, chairman of the Federal Association of Public Health Physicians, to the newspapers of the Funke media group. That’s why you have to be prepared.

“We now need a Europe-wide uniform protection concept,” said the doctor. “Every traveler from China should be tested by a rapid test when entering the EU.” The rule must apply to business travelers, tourists and other visitors.

If the test result is positive, a PCR test must follow and the sample must be sequenced. Anyone who has become infected should definitely have to go into isolation, according to Nießen.

EU so far without a common line

The European Union had not yet decided on a common line during consultations on the corona wave in China last Thursday. EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides only called on the states to review their national measures to monitor the virus and, if necessary, to restart them.

Several European countries have now issued or announced entry restrictions for travelers from China, including France, Italy and Spain. In France, PCR tests after arrival will also be mandatory in the future.

Government is still waiting

On the other hand, the federal government confirmed on Sunday that it initially wanted to wait and see. Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) declared on Friday that tightening the entry rules in Germany was “not yet necessary”.

The left criticized this line and called for a PCR test to be mandatory for travelers from China at German airports as well. “The news that almost every second passenger from China who was tested at Milan Airport was corona-positive must be alarming,” said the health policy spokeswoman for the left in the Bundestag, Kathrin Vogler, the news portal t-online. “In order to find out whether travelers from China may be bringing a previously unknown virus variant with them, a mandatory PCR test with sequencing makes sense.”

Newspaper report: EU offers China free vaccines

According to a newspaper report, the European Union is now offering China free vaccines to contain the corona wave. The initiative is part of the efforts of EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides to find a European response to the impending wave of infections, reports the Financial Times, citing people familiar with the matter.

She has reached out to her Chinese colleagues to offer solidarity and support, “including through public health expertise and matched vaccine donations from the EU.”