Tests before leaving China are intended to prevent another corona outbreak in the EU. However, the measures can no longer stop any new variants.
The situation is fatally reminiscent of the historic late winter of 2020, when the corona virus came to Europe. In an uncoordinated and aimless manner, the EU governments once again followed the worrying developments in China, where an end to the zero-Covid policy was announced on December 7 and where the virus has been known to have spread explosively ever since. New (possibly dangerous) mutations are probably only a matter of time.
Nevertheless, Chinese tourists have so far been able to enter most EU member states unhindered. That is now set to change – almost a full month after Beijing lifted the strict Covid measures: At a special meeting of the EU crisis response mechanism IPCR convened by the Swedish Council Presidency, the member states agreed yesterday, Wednesday, on testing travelers from China of departure. Detailed questions – such as how to deal with transit travelers – remained open for the time being. It is also unclear how the tests are to be carried out and monitored on site: after all, the Chinese government has spoken out strictly against such tests on the population, so cooperation with the authorities there is likely to be difficult. The question of whether test certificates written in Chinese could be read by the responsible officials during arrival checks in the EU has also not been clarified.