The European Union urged member countries Friday to put health screening procedures in place at their borders to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus but said they must coordinate so people can still quickly get the medical care they need.
Slovakia took similar action. An entry ban on foreign nationals in Cyprus only excepts European citizens if they live or work in the ethnically divided island nation. President Nicos Anastasiades said foreigners would also be prohibited from entering Cyprus’ internationally recognized south from the breakaway north.
The EU’s executive commission recommended coordinated border health screenings as a way to address infections. Preliminary checks for signs of infection could be done at borders between the 26 nations that make up the passport-free Schengen Area, but also at the EU’s external borders and within individual countries, von der Leyen said.The ID check-free area, which includes many EU members but also non-members like Switzerland, Norway and Iceland, is a jewel in Europe’s crown.
The European Commission led by von der Leyen polices the Schengen Area’s rules, but individual countries are responsible for their own health and public safety policies. Croatian Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic, who is chairing the talks because his country currently holds the EU’s rotating presidency, said, “This crisis shows that as a European Union we need to have models to act in a more coordinated way.”The ministers were also expected to discuss the 30-day U.S. travel ban on people coming t from inside the Schengen Area. The measure announced by U.S. President Donald Trump don’t apply to the United Kingdom, Ireland or any of the Balkan countries.
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