EU ministers seek united front to tackle medical shortages

BRUSSELS (AP) — Fearing a possible shortage in masks and protective equipment to fight the new coronavirus, top European Union officials are urging members to put solidarity above national interests as the virus spreads quickly across the continent.

Speaking Friday after an urgent meeting in Brussels of health ministers from the 27-country bloc, crisis management commissioner Janez Lenarcic said EU nations are entitled to restrict exports of medical equipment but warned that such decisions could compromise the EU's ability to manage the growing COVID-19 virus crisis.

While Italy is the hardest-hit country in Europe, with 148 deaths so far, more than 4,000 confirmed cases of the virus have been recorded across the bloc. The epidemic has been spreading at a quicker pace over the past two weeks, leading the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) to raise the risk of coronavirus infection from moderate to high.

“Preparedness has to be enhanced still further because simply it is more probable that what we have now in Italy will happen elsewhere in Europe,” Lenarcic said.

The last time EU health ministers met, on Feb. 13, no virus deaths had been reported in Europe. According to the latest figures from the ECDC, 112 people have now died from the virus on the continent. The Netherlands announced its first death on Friday.

As a response to the outbreak, Germany and other countries including the Czech Republic have banned the export of medical equipment such as respiratory masks, gloves and protective suits. As contagion fears have led to shortages of face masks and sanitising gels, French President Emmanuel Macron said his government is requisitioning all current and future stocks of protective masks.

Lenarcic said the European Commission, the bloc's executive arm, would support such temporary...