“The blockade cannot last forever”

Posted on: 04/15/2020 12:53

“Although the return to normal will be very long, it is clear that extraordinary closure measures cannot last indefinitely“The Joint European Roadmap for lifting Covid-19 containment measures” underlines this, presented today in Brussels by the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and the President of the European Council Charles Michel.

For the EU, “ongoing evaluation” of existing containment measures is needed to ensure that they are “proportionate” as “our understanding of the virus and disease evolves”. Therefore, “it is essential to plan the phase in which Member States will be able to restart economic and social activities, minimizing the impacts on people’s health and without overloading health systems. This requires a well-coordinated approach in the EU and between Member States. “

In the European Union, the action to eliminate the containment measures decided to combat the Covid-19 pandemic will be “gradual”, given that “the measures will be eliminated in several stages and sufficient time must be allowed between one stage and the other” . another (for example, a month), since the effects of its elimination can only be measured over time, “he stresses again.

Therefore, the EU recommends that Member States take a “step-by-step” approach to eliminate measures taken to combat the spread of the Sars-Cov-2 coronavirus, elimination to be accompanied by “continuous monitoring” of the epidemiological situation. And one of the preconditions for the reopening of activities is that the EU member countries have a sufficient “reserve” of intensive care placessays von der Leyen.

There are three preconditions to begin eliminating the measures: a “robust” epidemiological evaluation, which “indicates a significant decrease in the spread of the virus over an extended period of time,” a “combined capacity of the health system.” sufficient for an increased influx of patients, there should be “a reserve of intensive care beds” not only for Covid-19 patients “but also for other patients” a “sufficient degree of vigilance” of the epidemiological situation , for those who need the ability to “carry out large-scale tests” on the population.

In the EU population there are “more vulnerable groups”, including the “elderly,” who “should be protected longer” from possible infection with Sars-Cov-2, the coronavirus that causes Covid-19, is highlighted in the Roadmap that adds: “Although there is no General data Evidence suggests that older people and people with chronic diseases are at higher risk People with mental illness are another possible risk group Measures should be taken to continue protecting “these categories”, removing restrictions on other groups “of the population, generally less vulnerable to the effects of the Sars-Cov-2 coronavirus.

In the EU there is “the absolute need to develop a strategy to have massive investments“and, for this purpose,” the next MFF “, the Multiannual Financial Framework, the EU budget 2021-27,” is the key “. And” also the European Investment Bank is an essential tool “to” develop a very strong investment strategy, “he said Michel, presenting the document that aims to provide Member States with guidelines to eliminate closure measures that are coordinated at European level and are not as harmful to the functioning of the single market as the adoption of the same measures has been.

Furthermore, in the European Union “many countries have encouraged the internal production” of protective material, such as masks. It is a correct approach, because “we have to be much less dependent on producers outside the EU if we want to be a Europe capable of taking charge of its future,” said the President of the European Council.