News

EU Proposes To Temporarily Close Its Borders in Schengen Areas to Foreign Arrivals Amid Covid-19 Pandemic

0 173

The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Layen has proposed a 30-day restriction on travel into the 26-state Schengen Area to curb the Coronavirus.

The Schengen Area consists of 26 countries, 22 of them in the European Union, and four countries (Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Lichtenstein) are associate members of the Schengen Area but are not members of the EU.

The UK and Ireland opted out of the Schengen Agreement, wanting to control their own borders and movement of people.

However, von der Leyen has said travel between the EU and the UK will be allowed under the plan, which will be finalized Tuesday.

The EU Commission team has outlined guidelines on border measures that propose:

  • Green light/fast lanes giving priority to essential transport to keep the mobility sector going and ensure economic continuity
  • Temporary restriction on non-essential travel to the EU (30 days)

Commission President Ms von der Layen said:

“Here in Europe we are heavily affected by coronavirus and we know that everything that reduces social interaction also reduces the speed of the spread of the virus.

“The less travel, the more we can contain the virus.

“Therefore, as I have just informed our G7 partners, I propose to the heads of state and governments, to introduce temporary restrictions on non-essential travel to the European Union.”

The latest information on global travel bans can be found here.


The NHS advises to:

Stay at home for 7 days if you have either:
  • A high temperature – you feel hot to touch on your chest or back
  • A new, continuous cough – this means you’ve started coughing repeatedly
  • Do not go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital.
  • You do not need to contact 111 to tell them you’re staying at home.
  • Testing for coronavirus is not needed if you’re staying at home.
Phone 111 if:
  • You feel you cannot cope with your symptoms at home
  • Your condition gets worse
  • Your symptoms do not get better after 7 days

you can read more advice and information about the Coronavirus on the NHS website here.

About the author / 

Shawna Healey

I'm Shawna, 21, and Welsh studying Geography at MMU. I have varying interests and opinions but usually its all things feminism.

Leave a reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More News Stories:

  • Rainbow Kitten Surprise @ O2 Apollo review – enthralling and magnetic

    Featured image and gallery: Sub Khan It’s no surprise that Rainbow Kitten Surprise have made a name for themselves in recent years, their genre-merging approach and deeply introspective lyrics piquing the curiosity of thousands. Formed in 2013, the band have long surpassed their humble roots of playing their dorm rooms in North Carolina. From establishing…

  • Drums as bins and enamel pins: The ‘punk-ish passion of Open Fly

    Featured image: Ella Venn and Nicola Cutts Manchester’s Open Fly talk new music, performance mishaps and men. Bassist Lily Rose believes that women have better things to say than men when it comes to song lyrics, especially in the world of indie bands. She says this with a sheepish smile as her bandmate and frontwoman…

  • Five analogue hobbies to refresh your mind

    Featured image: Nicola Cutts & Olivia Taberner Watching a movie, scrolling through social media and playing video games can be fun, but sometimes, you just want to slow down and disconnect from a screen. Where better to begin than with a magazine that you’re holding? Here are five analogue hobbies that will kick off a…

  • Album review: Kyle Alessandro – Aura – Alessandro’s a winner

    Featured image: Aura Album artwork Kyle Alessandro’s journey these last few years has been nothing short of impressive. Previous album, Evig & Alltid, recorded in Norwegian and released in 2023, had a more conventional pop sound but latest record Aura swerves this and sees Alessandro go searching for a different sound altogether. With Aura, there is…