EU Plans To Make Arriving Passengers Pass PCR Test 72 Hours Upon Departure - Commissioner

BRUSSELS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th January, 2021) The European Commission has submitted to the European Council a proposal for the introduction of mandatory PCR tests that the passengers arriving in the EU countries must take 72 hours before departure from any third country, EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson said on Monday.

Earlier in the day, EU Commissioner for justice Didier Reynders called on the EU countries to make efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19 infections imported from foreign countries.

"We today are proposing new measures, which include testing for all arrivals to the European Union, including essential travelers. For any travel to the European Union there should be a PCR test in 72 hours before departure," Johansson said at a press conference.

The commissioner noted that the commission's proposal also recommended the EU countries to subject the passengers arriving from the third countries to additional COVID-19 related restrictions, such as self-isolation in some cases.

"Member states are also strongly encouraged to set up additional measure for countries where variants of a concern of the virus have been detected.

Such as self-isolation, quarantine and contact tracing for a period up to 14 days," Johansson said.

The EU official added that the commission suggested the council to allow the bloc's citizens, long-term members and their families to continue traveling, but to prevent the other groups from entering the European Union due to COVID-19 fears.

"It is important that we keep essential travel possible, even though they have to make this test in advance. Travel back to the European Union by EU [citizens] or long-term residents and their family members remains essential," Johansson said, stressing that "all non-essential travel, especially to and from high-risk areas, should be strongly discouraged until the epidemiological situation has considerably improved."

According to data published by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, more than 2.1 million cases of COVID-19 were registered in countries of the European Union and the European Economic Area from January 4-17.