Finland will impose restrictions for Chinese tourists due to the COVID-19 situation in China if the European Union did not propose any measures, according to Finnish Minister for Family Affairs and Social Services Krista Kiuru.
Previously, European Commission spokesman Tim McPhie said at a briefing that on Wednesday, the EU Health Security Committee would meet to discuss a coordinated EU response to the coronavirus situation in China.
“We need to think about how we can contribute to protecting people’s health if the EU is unable to do so,” Kiuru said in a comment to MTV3, stressing that in her view, the union will decide on Wednesday about COVID-19 testing for Chinese citizens.
“I believe that tomorrow decisions can be made at the EU level. Many countries have already taken these measures,” she noted.
According to the Finnish press, France, Italy and Spain started testing last week. Germany and Sweden are waiting for a coordinated EU response.
As of now, Finnish carrier Finnair and China’s Juneyao Airlines operate direct regular flights between Finland and China’s Shanghai.
Beijing has already blasted the restrictions that some countries have imposed for Chinese visitors.
“We believe that the entry restrictions adopted by some countries targeting China lack scientific basis, and some excessive practices are even more unacceptable,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a daily briefing Tuesday.
Source: See News
