France jumps gun on EU border closures in coronavirus fight

France jumps gun on EU border closures in coronavirus fight

Fight

Paris/Brussels, March 17, 2020 (dpa/NAN)  France is leading the charge to turn away travellers to ramp up the fight against the new coronavirus.

Interior Minister, Christophe Castaner said hours before EU leaders are expected to sign off on sealing the bloc’s borders.

“Controls are in place and will be put in place at our borders,’’ Castaner said in Paris on Tuesday. Europeans travelling within the bloc for non-essential reasons will also have to turn back, he added.

EU leaders are poised to decide to close the bloc’s borders for most non-essential travel for at least 30 days, during an emergency video conference on the coronavirus outbreak.

More than 61,000 cases of Covid-19 the disease caused by the virus have been confirmed in the EU and Britain so far, with 2,740 deaths.

The European Commission proposed the move on Monday, along with health checks at the bloc’s internal borders. Each EU country would be responsible for enforcing the ban.

The EU executive is striving to coordinate the response of the 27 member states, which have adopted a hotchpotch of measures.

Top EU officials criticised similar entry restrictions imposed on Europeans by the United States last week.

Exceptions will apply to EU citizens returning home, long-term residents in the bloc, transit passengers, diplomats, health-care and aid workers and those travelling for urgent family reasons, among others, according to a commission proposal. (dpa/NAN)

HS/AFA

=======

Edited by Halima Sheji/Felix Ajide