European Union leaders agreed to restrict most travel into the continent in an unprecedented move aimed at slowing down the spread of the deadly coronavirus pandemic and curbing its effects on the bloc.

Soon after the move was announced, the global death toll crossed 8,000 and the total number of infections surpassed 200,000. Europe has now recorded over 3,400 deaths, leapfrogging Asia’s 3,380 fatalities. Italy on Wednesday reported 475 new deaths, the highest one-day official toll of any nation since the first case was detected in China late last year. Total deaths in Italy have reached 2,978, more than half of all the cases recorded outside China, while the number of infections stood at 35,713.

The EU’s new restrictions will apply to all non-EU citizens and last for an initial 30 days, German Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters after a video conference. She said that the group expressed a “great readiness” to do whatever is necessary to contain the outbreak.

Banning all travel to foreign nationals adds to a series of restrictive measures that would have been unthinkable in western democracies only a few weeks ago. Several EU member states have imposed curfews and lockdowns, shutting shops, bars, schools, and restaurants in a last-ditch effort to stop the disease from overwhelming the continent’s healthcare systems.

While the moves are deemed essential by many epidemiologists, they are bound to deal a severe blow to the European and global economies. EU governments officially acknowledge the bloc is heading to a recession this year – the first since the sovereign debt crisis.

The sealing of Europe’s external border is aimed at lifting an ever-growing number of internal border closings, which have disrupted free movement within the bloc – one of the key pillars of European integration.

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