Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

European countries accused of ignoring science with Chinese Covid rules

European countries accused of ignoring science with Chinese Covid rules

Industry figures and medical experts have criticised new measures imposed by many governments saying they are motivated by politics rather than science.
European countries have been accused of ignoring scientific advice in requiring travellers from China to show a negative Covid-19 test before boarding flights to the continent.

Belgium, Germany and Sweden became the latest European Union members to introduce new measures ahead of the expected increase in tourist numbers when China eases some of its travel restrictions this weekend.

They join France, Italy and Spain in requiring passengers to present negative tests before flying. Britain, a non-EU member, also requires a negative preflight test.

An EU spokesperson said the rules were needed because of a lack of transparency about China’s outbreak from the authorities.

“The commission considers that given the circumstances, which include the scarcity of reliable data on the epidemiological situation in China, we need to take a precautionary approach,” said Tim McPhie, a commission spokesman, on Friday.

Lars Danielsson, Sweden’s ambassador to the EU, whose country holds the bloc’s rotating presidency, said it was important to tell Beijing there was a problem with the data.

“One of the reasons why we need to do this is that they have not been so forthcoming about providing statistics about what the situation actually is in China right now,” he told Politico.

But epidemiologists and industry figures have accused governments of having a political motive for targeting Chinese travellers.

“There is no scientific basis for the introduction of point of entry/point of exit testing for Covid in international travellers and if the newspapers are to be believed that is a view held by senior health officials,” said Paul Hunter, an epidemiologist at the University of East Anglia in Britain.

“We’ve known since well before Covid that point of entry/point of exit screening (whether screening for fever or testing for the virus) is largely ineffective at controlling the international spread of infectious diseases,” he added.

Earlier in the week, the European Centre for Disease Control played down the risk of a ripple effect through the continent, even if it bemoaned the “lack of reliable data” from Beijing.

“Given higher population immunity in the EU … a surge in cases in China is not expected to impact the Covid-19 epidemiological situation in the EU,” the centre wrote in a note on Tuesday.

By contrast, it warned on Thursday that the new Omicron variant XBB. 1.5 currently spreading rapidly in the United States “could have an increasing effect on the number of Covid-19 cases in the EU/EEA, but not within the coming month”.

Aviation industry figures accused governments of acting “more for populist reasons rather than to attain public health goals”.

“We all know that uncertainty prevents companies from planning, programming and selling travel and holidays,” Eric Drésin, secretary general of the European Travel Agents’ and Tour Operators’ Associations, told Politico.

The International Air Transport Association said “governments must base their decisions on ‘science facts’ rather than ‘science politics’”.

“Governments should listen to the advice of experts, including the [World Health Organization], that advise against travel restrictions,” said its director general, Willie Walsh, who also called for China to “remove the need for pre-departure Covid-19 testing for those travelling to China”.

The blowback came after EU states began following a recommendation from Brussels to introduce testing requirements – even if the guidelines were being implemented in a patchwork manner.

Belgium, for instance, only requires a negative test from passengers on the four direct flights per week between Beijing and Brussels. Visitors travelling indirectly from mainland China, Hong Kong or Macau will not be affected.

In Sweden, however, Hong Kong and Macanese travellers will need to provide a negative test before departure. Furthermore, Swedish citizens and long-term EU residents will be exempt from the testing rules, even if they are flying directly from mainland China.

Simon Hoff, a spokesman for the Swedish health ministry, said that its citizens had an “unconditional right to enter the country”, when asked why the standards were not universally applied.

“According to the constitution, there is no right to prevent a citizen from entering the country. EU citizens and third-country nationals who enjoy the same right to free movement as Union citizens should also retain the option of returning to the Union,” Hoff said.

In the Netherlands, health minister Ernst Kuipers urged the national senate to return from recess to pass a law that would allow the country to introduce restrictions on travellers from China.

Germany said it would require passengers from China to take a test before flying and there will also be random tests at German airports.

Poland and Bulgaria, on the other hand, said they had no plans to introduce restrictions.

“There is no mutation in China that would have been a threat to us at the moment. We are constantly monitoring the situation and if a response is needed, it will follow,” said Wojciech Andrusiewicz, a spokesman for Poland’s health ministry, according to Bloomberg.

Spanish experts defended the country’s decision to require vaccination records or a negative PCR test from travellers from China, but said the real challenge would start with an influx of visitors around the Lunar New Year holiday later this month, by which point all EU members should have a coordinated response.

There should be a “global and coordinated manner at the European Union level”, said the president of the Spanish Society of Immunology, Marcos López Hoyos, according to the EFE news agency.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
China Presses Netherlands to “properly” Resolve the Nexperia Seizure as Supply Chain Risks Grow
Merz Attacks Migrants, Sparks Uproar, and Refuses to Apologize: “Ask Your Daughters”
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
Ex-Microsoft Engineer Confirms Famous Windows XP Key Was Leaked Corporate License, Not a Hack
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Mayor in western Germany in intensive care after stabbing
Australian government pays Deloitte nearly half a million dollars for a report built on fabricated quotes, fake citations, and AI-generated nonsense.
BYD’s UK Sales Soar Nearly Nine-Fold, Making Britain Its Biggest Market Outside China
Latvia to Bar Tourist and Occasional Buses to Russia and Belarus Until 2026
Wave of Complaints Against Apple Over iPhone 17 Pro’s Scratch Sensitivity
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Trump Says Ukraine Can Fully Restore Borders with NATO Backing
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Germany Weighs Excluding France from Key European Fighter Jet Programme
Cyberattack Disrupts Check-in and Boarding Systems at Major European Airports
Björn Borg Breaks Silence: Memoir Reveals Addiction, Shame and Cancer Battle
When Extremism Hijacks Idealism: How the Baader-Meinhof Gang Emerged and Fell
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
Trump Orders $100,000 Fee on H-1B Visas and Launches ‘Gold Card’ Immigration Pathway
France’s Looming Budget Crisis and Political Fracture Raise Fears of Becoming Europe’s “Sick Man”
Three Russian MiG-31 Jets Breach Estonian Airspace in ‘Unprecedentedly Brazen’ NATO Incident
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
×