No panic but European virus response can be a bit confusing

BRUSSELS (AP) — At first glance, the response to the new virus outbreak in Europe appears to be all over the place.

A thousand tourists locked down in a Spanish hotel resort over virus fears. Buses halted in France while passengers are screened. Rail services delayed by Austria for a precautionary sweep. Major European soccer matches postponed. Paris Fashion Week and other cultural events under a cloud.

As the numberof casesin Italy mounts, andnew onesare identified in Austria and Croatia, authorities across Europe are struggling to strike the right balance between addressing concern that the new coronavirus outbreak can cross borders without fueling panic. A big fear — at least on the economic front — is that the open borders that exist across much of continental Europe might be closed.

However, the vastly different responses in Europe have sewn some confusion and stoked concerns that a failure to co-ordinate could worsen the outbreak. The EU’s executive commission, which enforces the open borders area rule book, is urging countries to react in a proportionate manner, based on scientific evidence and to inform their partners.

“The situation is a dynamic one, it may be evolving,” said commission spokeswoman Dana Spinant.

She added that any measures taken in response to the virus “are more effective if they are taken in coordination and not in a fragmented way.”

It appears that there are differences of approach across countries and within them too, notably over how to deal with Italy, which has seen the most cases of the outbreak in Europe.

In France, police barricaded a bus that arrived in thecentralcity of Lyon on Monday from northern Italy, keeping passengers on board for several hours. The driver was hospitalized as a “suspicious case” but...