The European Union Health Security Committee said on Tuesday that EU member states agreed on a "coordinated approach" to the changing Covid-19 situation, adding that included implications for increased travel from China.
EU health chief Stella Kyriakides said the committee worked on targeted measures including pre-departure testing for travellers from China, stepped up wastewater monitoring and increased domestic surveillance.
Talks of the integrated political crisis response (IPCR) meeting continue tomorrow.
Earlier, Beijing condemned the introduction of Covid testing on passengers arriving in some countries from China and threatened its own counter-measures.
Australia and Canada this week joined a growing list of countries requiring travellers from China to take a Covid test before boarding their flight as the country battles a nationwide outbreak after abruptly easing restrictions that were in place for much of the pandemic.
Other countries including the US, the UK, India, Japan and several European nations have announced tougher measures on Chinese travellers amid concerns over a lack of data on infections in China and fears that new variants could spread.
“We are firmly opposed to attempts to manipulate the Covid measures for political purposes and will take counter-measures based on the principle of reciprocity,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said in response to the measures. -Reuters, additional reporting by PA
