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At a videoconference summit, the leaders will discuss “the seriousness of the new varieties,” an EU official said.
The spread of the virus strains from Great Britain, South Africa and Brazil is of concern to the EU authorities due to their increased infectivity, which has led to the introduction of travel bans and restrictions on travelers from the Community.
Calls to close internal EU borders to curb the spread of new varieties are increasing, but German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday such a move would be a “last resort”.
According to her, the most important task now is to improve the epidemiological situation in all EU countries. Merkel added that “if the country where [sergamumo] the level could be double that in Germany, it opens all its stores and we still have them closed, so, of course, it becomes a problem ”.
If the morbidity curve still does not drop, the possibility of introducing border controls cannot be “completely ruled out”, the chancellor warned.
Merkel and other leaders highlighted the need for the Community to coordinate its action to avoid the sad experience of last March, when several Member States abruptly closed their borders unilaterally, causing traffic chaos.
Such decisions have seriously disrupted Europe’s already faltering economy, and leaders are now trying to find ways to control the spread of new tensions without closing factories and businesses.
Belgium, between Germany, France and the Netherlands, has said it will request “temporary” closures during the February and March holidays, when the country celebrates the Carnival season and millions of Europeans flock to the ski resorts.
In an interview with AFP a few hours before the summit, Foreign Minister Sophie Wilmes said Belgium wanted to ban “unnecessary movements” across the country’s borders until the end of the February holiday at the earliest.
“We have to understand that we are in a completely exceptional position,” he said, adding that it would be “strange” to tell Belgian bars and restaurants to close, but allow tourists to go abroad.
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