US says China has no reason to retaliate against countries that have imposed screening on travelers

The 27 Member States of the European Union agree to carry out COVID-19 tests on travelers from China

3 Jan. () –

The United States has affirmed this Tuesday that the controls imposed on travelers from China are “prudent sanitary measures” and alleges that China has no reason for possible retaliation for the outbreak of COVID-19 cases in the Asian giant.

“There are no reasons for retaliation here just because countries around the world are taking prudent sanitary measures to protect their citizens,” White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said at a press conference, adding that it is only about of “public health”, as reported by Bloomberg.

These statements come after the Government of China has described as “unacceptable” the measures adopted by some countries to control the arrival of travelers from the Asian giant, alleging that there are no scientific arguments that justify the restrictions approved by governments such as that of USA.

“We are firmly opposed to manipulating pandemic prevention and control measures to achieve political objectives,” said the spokeswoman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Mao Ning, in an appearance before the media reported by the official press.

In this way, Beijing assured that it reserves the right to retaliate, by virtue of the “principle of reciprocity” that governs international relations. The spokeswoman, however, did not go into more detail about these possible aftershocks.

RESPONSE FROM THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION

For its part, the European Commission has determined this Tuesday that the “overwhelming majority” of the 27 Member States of the European Union agree to carry out COVID-19 tests on travelers from China, for which they have agreed on a ” coordinated approach” given the recent increase in positives in the country.

“The overwhelming majority of countries are in favor of pre-departure tests,” a spokesman said on Tuesday after a meeting of the Health Security Committee, as reported by the DPA news agency.

The European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides, has stated on her official Twitter profile that the general consensus is on measures such as tests for travelers from China, as well as on the intensification of monitoring of wastewater or a greater case surveillance.