BRUSSELS -- European Union officials urged member nations Thursday to move quickly to slow the latest wave of coronavirus infections to avoid a repeat of the broad lockdowns that paralyzed the continent's economy in the spring.
EU health commissioner Stella Kyriakides said the most recent risk assessment showed that some countries are reporting more cases now than they did during the earlier pandemic's peak in Europe.
"We are at a decisive moment. All member states must be ready to roll out control measures, immediately and at the right time, at the very first sign of potential new outbreaks," Kyriakides said. "This might be our last chance to prevent a repeat of last spring."
More than 3 million cases have been reported in Europe since the beginning of the year, including 187,509 deaths, according to figures from the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control.
To control the virus's rebound, several EU nations have imposed localized lockdowns, limited public and private gatherings again, and restricted the operation of bars, restaurants and entertainment venues.
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Andrea Ammon, director of the European disease-control agency, remarking on the social impact of such moves, noted the need to maintain basic precautions such as physical distancing and frequent hand-washing.
"Until there is a safe and effective vaccine available, rapid identification, testing, and quarantine of high-risk contacts are some of the most effective measures to reduce transmission," Ammon said.
Her agency said in its latest evaluation of the pandemic that the level of immunity in the European population remains low, estimating it is under 15% in most of the EU and the U.K.
"Most of the people can still be infected," Ammon said.
The agency said EU countries should emphasize curbing the spread of the virus among children and adults under age 50, making sure the public is aware that people in those categories can become seriously ill from covid-19 as well as expose more vulnerable populations to the virus.
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While some EU members have shortened their mandatory quarantine periods, the disease-control agency continues to recommended 14-day quarantines for people who had contact with infected individuals.
"The pandemic is far from over and we must not drop our guard," Ammon said.
Meanwhile, Swiss authorities ordered 2,500 students at an elite hospitality management school to quarantine themselves after a coronavirus outbreak allegedly linked to off-campus partying, the latest back-to-school sign of higher education's place in the pandemic.
University spokesman Sherif Mamdouh said the quarantine runs only through Monday because Swiss authorities factored in a possible 14-day virus incubation period since this month's start-of-term parties.
Mamdouh said 11 students had tested positive for the coronavirus in the outbreak so far and none required hospitalization. Mamdouh said only 67 of the undergraduates affected by the quarantine live on campus, while all the rest live off-campus.
Elsewhere, beginning Monday, foreigners holding valid Chinese visas and residence permits for work, personal matters and family reunions will be permitted to enter China without needing to apply for new visas, according to a regulation.
Those whose permits have expired can reapply. Returnees must undergo two weeks of quarantine and follow other anti-epidemic measures, the regulation said.
Some exceptions may still be made, with the Foreign Ministry communicating to some journalists that the regulation may not apply to them.
The announcement was made jointly by the Foreign Ministry and the National Immigration Administration on Wednesday.
China announced seven new cases of coronavirus on Thursday, all of them imported, marking 39 days since the country has reported a case of domestic transmission. China has confirmed 85,314 cases.
In Japan, at least 70 employees of a sandwich factory in Tokyo have been infected with the coronavirus, the company said Thursday. After the first case appeared at the Takara-Butz Co. factory on Sept. 9, the company disinfected the plant and took preventive measures under the supervision of health officials, the company said. Dozens of workers suspected of having had close contact with the patient were told to self-isolate in their homes, but 30 later tested positive. By Thursday, the rest of the plant's 300 workers were tested and 39 more were found to be infected, the company said.
Information for this article was contributed by Sylvia Hui and Jan M. Olsen of The Associated Press.
