EU travel set to be banned over coronavirus pandemic

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen announced on Monday to bring in a 30-day travel ban on all non-essential foreign travel.

Von der Leyen 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.”

An EU official has said the travel ban would cover all of Europe’s countries and the “UK and Ireland are encouraged to align.”

A second EU official said, “The idea is being discussed with a view to avoid putting the health services under even more strain.

“But it remains to be seen what EU leaders decide on Tuesday, whether non-EU Schengen countries join, whether we coordinate with Britain and Ireland too.”

The Schengen free-travel zone ban will be excluded tp doctors, medical staff and cross-boarder workers across the bloc.

Daily there are countries across Europe that are locking down their cities and closing border, on Monday Germany has now started with border check points.

Italy had their first confirmed coronavirus case on 21 February, in just 23 days 1,809 people have died with 24,747 confirmed cases.

Italy has the largest suspected and confirmed cases in Europe, according to data from John Hopkins University.

An Italian doctor who is at the heart of the coronavirus outbreak has spoken out and has said the virus is a “tsunami that has swept us all.”

Dr Daniele Macchini candidly spoke of the huge pressures that health professionals are going through across Italy, which has now been classed as “protected zone.”

He admitted “the need not to create panic” however, “the message of the danger of what is happening” is not reaching people.

An NHS doctor who is trapped in coronavirus infected Italy has warned the British government to “shut down everything.”