EU proposes a common testing system for COVID-19

The head of the European Council, Charles Michel, suggested that the European Union countries unify the testing system for COVID-19, mainly, use rapid tests to identify and isolate carriers of the virus quickly, Report says, citing RIA Novosti.

"Researchers are currently developing rapid tests, particularly based on saliva analysis, which should help authorities identify infected people faster and isolate them faster," the head of the European Council told French radio station RTL.

According to him, closing borders within the EU will not help cope with the second wave of coronavirus in Europe. "We are facing a powerful second wave of the virus, although not everything is known about the virus itself, and mysteries remain," Michel stated.

He noted that many EU countries consider this scenario as a repeated lockdown - a new universal self-isolation. "But this will have serious economic, social, and psychological consequences.'

On December 31, 2019, Chinese authorities announced an outbreak of pneumonia in China's Wuhan, and the causative agent is a new type of coronavirus officially named COVID-19.

On March 11, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a new coronavirus outbreak a pandemic.