On 2 March, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) upgraded the risk of infection from ‘moderate’ to ‘high’. In Brussels, a team of five Commissioners was set up to focus on three key aspects: health, mobility and the economy.
A movement began to take shape between around 20 member states to make joint purchases of the necessary medical equipment. At that point, the Schengen zone for the free movement of people was still in force and the Commission lay emphasis...