The question is not so much when it will be possible to travel, but how. This is how Transport Commissioner Adina Vălean summed up the guidelines presented by the European Commission on Wednesday 13 May on the gradual restoration of transport services and connectivity in the EU.
Anticipating the resumption of travel and a return to mobility, the institution intends to see the same health measures applied to all European transport and is addressing its recommendations to the States to this end.
The gradual restoration of transport services, she said, would have to be based on the epidemiological situation and the relaxation of travel restrictions in each state.
“We are in weekly contact with the European Health Ministers”, Commissioner Vălean told the press, stressing that the meetings “organised with the Commission at the Ministers’ request” should continue.
Limit contact, disinfect, protect
Thus, the Commission recommends that: - passengers be encouraged to buy their tickets online; - a limited number of passengers be allowed on buses, trains and ferries, in order to facilitate physical distancing; - the sale of foodstuffs be suspended in order to limit contact; - vehicles be ventilated, cleaned and disinfected once a day, or even after each use for shared bicycles and scooters, for example.
Wearing masks in ‘hubs’ and vehicles used for public transport is also recommended. “National health and safety authorities will specify the exact requirements for each mode of transport, depending on the epidemiological risk in that country, the availability of masks, and other considerations”, the Commission said.
It also emphasises the protection of workers in the sector, stressing the need for companies to provide all the necessary equipment for their employees, especially those with “a high level of interaction with customers” (air crews, security guards, ticket inspectors, etc.).
Further measures expected for the aviation sector
Finally, the Commission has put forward a number of recommendations by sector: for air transport, the road sector, buses and coaches, taxis, rail, waterborne transport and urban transport.
A supplementary protocol for the aviation sector, drawn up by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), is still being finalised.
It will contain additional health measures and will specifically “address the issue of physical distancing on board”, the Commission says. This protocol should be published within a few days, according to a European source.
To view the recommendations: https://bit.ly/2WuqH4c (Original version in French by Agathe Cherki)