Countries are coming up with proactive responses against the COVID-19 surge in China. Belgium, for one, has announced that it will test wastewater from planes arriving from China for new COVID-19 variants.
This will enable to capture presence of the virus shared by people with and without any symptoms. Reportedly, the measure will be an additional monitoring objective to verify if the data received from China on COVID is accurate.
According to Reuters, health officials have stated that Belgium was aware that some COVID infected passengers might not use a toilet during their flights, and thus the new measure was, quote unquote, not meant to Track people, but to. Track independently what is happening in China.
Belgium is also asking travelers from China to test themselves for COVID-19 if they show any symptoms seven days after arriving. However, authorities will not mandate the testing.
Meanwhile, the Belgian health minister said that a European Union wide policy was needed towards China's COVID surge. EU health officials are now expected to hold talks on Wednesday on a coordinated response.
