Media reports expected the countries of the European Union and the Schengen area to start discussing the new proposal submitted by the European Commission to regulate the restrictions imposed on movement between the countries of the Union to limit the spread of the Corona virus “Covid 19”.
According to Agence France-Presse, the proposal submitted by the Commission on Friday to coordinate the measures that were chaos imposed during the start of the school year and return from holidays, is supposed to be discussed “for adoption in the coming weeks” by the 27 countries that began this week complex discussions in this regard that affect especially the powers Patriotism.
The countries of the European Union and the Schengen area decided to close the borders to travelers since last March due to the Corona epidemic, before partially reopening them at the beginning of the summer, but the emergence of a number of foci in specific areas led to the re-application of measures again.
European countries’ procedures vary regarding travel movement, as France does not impose any restrictions on travelers coming from other member states of the Union, while Hungary closes its borders to non-residents until the end of September, with some exceptions for tourists from the countries of the Visegrad Group (the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland). Prompting the commission to send a warning letter to it.
Other countries impose an examination or quarantine, and in some cases both measures together, on those coming from areas considered dangerous.
Belgium, which includes the headquarters of most European institutions, classifies many French regions, as well as the capital, Paris, and almost all of Spain as dangerous. This classification, established by a committee of experts, means returning to the red areas to impose the examination and quarantine procedure. Germany also classifies Paris as a dangerous region.
This diversity is accompanied by changing directives sometimes without prior announcement that “leads to confusion for citizens,” as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a video message, adding, “We have to ensure more clarity and predictability.”
** 3 criteria
While countries apply different criteria to impose these travel restrictions on a region, the European Executive Authority proposes that the classification be based on 3 criteria: the number of new infections per 100,000 people that are registered within 14 days, the percentage of positive tests between all tests within 7 days, and the number of tests that are taken It is performed per 100,000 residents over a period of 7 days.
** 3 colors
The Commission proposes that the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control publish a weekly map of the European region that classifies regions according to three colors (green, orange and red) according to specific numbers, and that data be made available at the regional level.
* Red areas: are those in which the number of new cases is greater than 50 within 14 days and the percentage of positive tests is equal to or more than 3%, and where the total number of injuries is more than 150 per 100 thousand people within 14 days.
Gray areas: where information is lacking or where there is insufficient number of tests. For these areas only, restrictions may be mandatory.
“It is up to the member states to decide what actions to take,” Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders told a newspaper.
“We believe that no citizen of the Union should be prevented from entering another European country (…) instead we recommend that governments use testing or quarantine. Testing should be the preferred option,” Ursula von der Leyen emphasized.
To prevent travelers and companies from facing sudden changes in the instructions, the Commission proposes that member states inform them and inform other countries every Thursday of the restrictions or lift the next ones, provided that the measures come into effect the following Monday.
At their meeting on Wednesday, EU ambassadors agreed on the need for coordination. But some Europeans consider the commission’s recommendations too ambitious.
Corona virus has killed at least 869,718 people since it appeared in China in December, according to a census prepared by Agence France-Presse Friday at 11:00 GMT, according to official sources.
The United States is the most affected country in the world, with 186,806 deaths, followed by Brazil with 124,614 deaths, then India, which recorded 68,472 deaths, Mexico, where it announced 66,329 deaths, and the United Kingdom with 41,527 deaths.
