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Covid-19: European countries accused of ignoring science by demanding negative tests from China travellers
- Industry figures and medical experts have criticised new measures imposed by many governments saying they are motivated by politics rather than science
- Brussels has defended the move, citing a lack of transparency from the Chinese authorities
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Finbarr Berminghamin Brussels
European countries have been accused of ignoring scientific advice in requiring travellers from China to show a negative Covid-19 test before boarding flights to the continent.
Belgium, Germany and Sweden became the latest European Union members to introduce new measures ahead of the expected increase in tourist numbers when China eases some of its travel restrictions this weekend.
They join France, Italy and Spain in requiring passengers to present negative tests before flying. Britain, a non-EU member, also requires a negative preflight test.
An EU spokesperson said the rules were needed because of a lack of transparency about China’s outbreak from the authorities.
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German nationals in China first to receive foreign Covid-19 vaccine
German nationals in China first to receive foreign Covid-19 vaccine
“The commission considers that given the circumstances, which include the scarcity of reliable data on the epidemiological situation in China, we need to take a precautionary approach,” said Tim McPhie, a commission spokesman, on Friday.
Finbarr Bermingham reports on Europe-China relations for the Post. He joined the newspaper in 2018, initially on the Political Economy desk reporting primarily on global trade, economics and geopolitics. After a decade on the trade beat in London and Hong Kong, he took up the role of Europe Correspondent, moving to Brussels to report from the heart of the EU. Having helmed the US-China Trade War Update, a weekly podcast, since 2019, he is the current host of the China Geopolitics Podcast.
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