Tue Mar 17, 2020 11:05 am
EU leaders are set to hold their second summit in two weeks in a fresh attempt to forge a joint response to the coronavirus pandemic as Europe takes over from China as the frontline in the fight against the disease.
The virus case count in Europe has climbed to more than 50,000 and more than 2,000 people have died. The inexorable spread of the disease has hit markets and sown public fear, but nervous governments have introduced quick-fix measures - partial border closures or quarantine - with little consultation.
After Italy, ground zero in Europe’s battle with Covid-19, Spain and now France have imposed lockdowns, confining citizens to their homes except for urgent business such as buying food or heading to any hospital that might still have the capacity to treat them.
Seven countries have informed the European Commission, the EU’s executive body, that they have reintroduced ID checks inside Europe’s passport-free Schengen Area. Among them are Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Poland, which all took unilateral action to halt the influx of migrants in 2015.