WORLD

European Union REFUSES to impose border controls to contain the spread of Coronavirus

26 February, 2020
Oliver Down

The MSM is awash with updates on the so-called ‘Coronavirus’ however, the European Union will not impose border controls to contain the spread of the fatal virus. This is despite hundreds of cases being confirmed in Italy and with new cases being confirmed throughout the EU. The European Commission has stated that it is not considering tightening border controls within the Schengen interior open-borders zone.

 The outbreak in Italy is now the largest outbreak of Coronavirus outside of Asia. Stella Kyriakides who is the EU’s Health and Food Safety Commissioner has said that the EU will be outsourcing responsibility for controlling ‘Coronavirus’ to the World Health Organisation (WHO), this body has yet to recommend any border controls in Europe. Ms Kyriakides has stated “We are facing … an unfolding situation, a complex situation and any decisions made need to be based on risk assessment and scientific advice and need to be proportionate. It is important that member states fully respect the advice given from WHO and of course from ECDC, but such decisions concerning travel restrictions will always be member states’ competence and member states’ decisions.”

In Italy, there are now 322 confirmed cases of the coronavirus with 11 reported deaths. The Italian government has decided to impose travel restrictions for at least 50,000 people, cancelled the Venice Carnival and has closed business and schools. Why will the EU not employ travel bans of affected regions? 

Under the Schengen agreement, which was signed in 1985, member states of the EU agreed to passport-free travel which allows people to travel freely throughout the bloc. However, countries are allowed to suspend this in the event of “a serious threat to public policy or internal security”. Surely the ‘Coronavirus’ outbreak on the continent comes under this category.

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