Europe remains open but the countries, and airports, with restrictions and preventive measures in place is increasing
International travellers are facing tighter restrictions at airports as the number of countries denying entry to passengers who have recently visited China, Italy and other regions with reported cases of coronavirus increases.
Cases of Covid-19 have now been confirmed in 58 countries. Restrictions are becoming more widespread, and major airports are putting preventive measures in place. A document featured on the International Air Transport Association (IATA) website, lists countries where restrictions are in place.
Anyone who has recently travelled to or transited through China (usually within the last 14-28 days)
Complete ban on entry to Australia, Bahamas, many Caribbean islands, India, Indonesia, Madagascar, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Turkey, USA and Vietnam, among others.
Anyone who has visited Italy (in the last 14 days)
Complete ban on entry to Aruba, Cook Islands, Fiji, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Mauritius, Mongolia, St Lucia and Seychelles, among others.
Passengers travelling from the UK (in the last 21 days)
The only locations with a ban on people coming from the UK are several Pacific islands, including Nauru (along with travellers from many other European countries and the US), and the Federated States of Micronesia (the islands of Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosrae), which have a ban on travellers from all countries with confirmed cases of coronavirus. Those coming from the UK will also face immediate quarantine in the Solomon Islands.
Overall, European countries have few travel restrictions in place, except Poland, which requires anyone travelling from China, Hong Kong, Italy, Korea or Macao to fill in a health declaration form.
At a press conference on Tuesday at the Ministry of Health in Rome, EU Commissioner for Health, Stella Kyriakides said the commission welcomed “keeping the borders open” across the EU, instead of “resorting to what could be considered disproportionate and inefficient measures”.
Some of the world’s largest and busiest international airports have announced preventive safety measures. Prague has designated separate gates for all passengers arriving from Italy or China. People travelling from those countries also face screening at Bratislava airport in Slovakia. Similar procedures are currently in place in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Croatia, Moldova, Bulgaria, Albania and Turkey.
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In the UK, airports are acting on the advice of Public Health England (PHE) and have introduced advanced monitoring at airports with direct flights from China. There are also health experts at Heathrow ready to support anyone arriving from China who feels unwell. The current advice from PHE also notes that as “most people who develop symptoms will get them after leaving the airport” the priority is now focused on making sure UK residents and travellers know what to do if they experience symptoms.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in the US has increased screenings at 20 airports, including travellers having their temperature taken and filling out a questionnaire. Anyone with symptoms, such as fever, cough or difficulty breathing has to undergo an additional health assessment. Passengers arriving in the UAE, India, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea will also face screenings, with each country varying in terms of flight origin.
Several airlines have begun adjusting schedules with fewer flights to Italy due to a drop in demand, including WizzAir, BA and easyJet. While other major carriers, such as Cathay Pacific, Delta, American Airlines and United, among others, have drastically reduced the number of flights into mainland China, with many governments around the world now advising against all but essential travel to the country.
New research released last week by IATA found that the coronavirus could cost the aviation industry $29bn in passenger revenues.
This article was updated on 1 March to remove Japan from the list of countries denying entry to people who had recently been in China. Japan currently only has a ban on anyone who has been in the Hubei Province or Zhejiang Province of China in the last 14 days.
Source: The Guardian