The European Union will decide on the timing of restrictions for travel to the bloc's visa-free Schengen area after Easter holidays, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday
BRUSSELS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd April, 2020) The European Union will decide on the timing of restrictions for travel to the bloc's visa-free Schengen area after Easter holidays, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday.
"Now we are holding consultations with all member states in order to take a decision on further actions after Easter," von der Leyen said, as aired by the Europe 1 broadcaster.
April 13 was designated as a public holiday for EU institutions as Easter Monday.
According to her, the decision taken in mid-March to suspend "unnecessary" trips of non-EU citizens to the continent due to the spread of COVID-19 was correctly accepted by all member states.
"It is not a good idea to go to Europe without a viable reason in such a situation. Also, this measure was aimed at preventing people from third countries from coming to the EU for [medical] treatment, since the [EU] health system is overstretched," she said.
In March, Schengen countries coordinated a ban on travel from other countries for 30 days and restricted the movement of people inside the bloc in the light of the pandemic. This measure does not affect diplomats, those who have special permits, and family members of EU citizens.
The European Commission previously said that the duration of the travel restrictions could be prolonged depending on how events developed.
