News

& Events

Virus: EU leaders ‘strongly discourage’ travel

Jan 22, 2021 | News

(22 January 2021) – EU leaders yesterday “strongly discouraged” Europeans from non-essential travel and warned tougher restrictions on trips could come within days if efforts to curb the coronavirus fell short.

COVID-19
© CHR Sambre & Meuse

EU chiefs Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel issued the warning after a four-hour summit by video link with the heads of government of the 27-nation bloc focused on responding to the second wave of the pandemic.

“All non-essential travel should be strongly discouraged both within the country and of course across borders,” von der Leyen, head of the European Commission, told a media conference.

Hotspots of COVID-19 infections in the European Union will be labelled “dark red” zones, and travellers from those areas will be required to take a test before departure and undergo quarantine, von der Leyen said.

“A dark red zone would show that in this zone, the virus is circulating at a very high level,” she said, adding that “persons travelling from dark red areas could be required to do a test before departure, as well as to undergo quarantine after arrival.”

From Sunday, anybody arriving from outside the EU — possible only for those with essential reasons — could have to have a test for Covid-19 before departure, von der Leyen said. (EurActiv)

More information