04/01/2023 08:24 pm (act. 04/01/2023 08:24 pm)
For mandatory testing: Health Minister Johannes Rauch. ©APA
Austria advocates a uniform EU approach when people from China enter the country, but rejects going alone.
“If the EU agrees to a mandatory pre-departure test, Austria would also implement this accordingly. I think a mandatory test only on entry makes little sense,” Health Minister Johannes Rauch (Greens) told the APA on Wednesday. -market.
Most support testing
An EU Commission spokesman said on Wednesday that an “overwhelming majority” of EU countries supported an EU Commission proposal to test travelers from China before they depart. Details such as how to handle travelers from non-EU countries still need to be clarified. The EU Commission is strictly based on scientific recommendations. Germany also wants to work towards uniform European regulation, as announced by the Ministry of Health in Berlin on Wednesday, according to the German Press Agency.
The backdrop for this is the Chinese government’s abrupt departure from its strict Covid-0 policy, which observers estimate will result in hundreds of millions of Chinese becoming infected with the virus in the near future. This can also lead to dangerous virus mutations, which travelers from China can spread to other countries.
coordinated approach
According to the EU Commission, representatives of national health ministries had already agreed on a “coordinated approach” on Tuesday. Rauch doesn’t think it makes sense for Austria to go it alone. “It makes no sense to control direct flights to Austria if most tourists from China come to the EU via other airports and go to Austria,” said the minister, who is not concerned about the worsening coronavirus situation in Austria .
No significant contribution
The number of new infections was below 4,000 on average last week, Rauch reported. In his opinion, the “relatively small number” of Chinese tourists “will not significantly contribute to an increase in the number of new infections”. Furthermore, there is broad immunity in Austria against the omicron variant, which also dominates in China.
However, Austria is wary of new variants of the virus. Wastewater from more than 50% of the population is examined regularly, and Austria also welcomes the expansion of wastewater monitoring in other EU countries, which the EU Commission has asked for, the statement said. The investigation of wastewater from all flights from China will start as early as Wednesday, not as previously announced next week. Germany is also interested in monitoring virus variants through testing wastewater at airports. It is said that this already exists at Frankfurt airport.
By itself
Some EU countries have already tightened China’s entry rules on their own, including Italy, France and Spain. Internationally, several countries, including the UK, US and Australia, already require travelers from China to have a negative test. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) criticized plans to impose entry restrictions on people from China on Wednesday. Such a measure has already proved ineffective, says the general manager of the lobbying association, Willie Walsh.