The European Commission wants to streamline Covid-19 travel restrictions in the EU with a single map that would be updated every week, European Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders said.
Reynders defended the Commission's proposal at a meeting of the European Affairs Minister.
"We would like a single map, with the same criteria for the whole of Europe,” Reynders said. That map will now be developed.
“When a region is coloured red, that should be the case for all Member States. Citizens and businesses must get correct information,” he underlined.
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The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) would publish a weekly map with common colour codes. An area where Covid-19 circulates strongly and which is coloured red on the European map would then automatically turn red for all Member States.
The proposal enjoys broad support among the Member States, which currently use different criteria to impose travel restrictions. The specific common criteria still need to be agreed on, however.
For the time being, Belgium is the only EU Member State that applies a travel ban to red zones, with a fine for those who violate that ban. As of Friday, however, travel to red zones will no longer be banned but strongly discouraged.
The Brussels Times
