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EU: Migrants are not bringing COVID-19 to Europe

BRUSSELS, March 30 (KUNA) -- The European Union Monday clarified that migrants are not bringing COVID-19 to Europe, stressing that the coronavirus is not carried by any particular population or group.
"The coronavirus is spread from one infected person to another through droplets that people sneeze, cough or exhale," said the European Commission in its update on its special website dedicated to coronavirus.
"If you read that the virus is purposefully being spread by migrants or specific ethnic groups, be assured that there is no scientific basis to such claims. In fact, COVID-19 is a global crisis that requires global solidarity," it noted.
Meanwhile, the EU Commissioner for Values and Transparency, Vera Jourova, held a video conference on last Friday with leading online platforms such as Google, Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft and Mozilla and received an update from them on the spread of disinformation related to the coronavirus pandemic.
According to a European Commission press release Monday, the platforms informed her that the steps they have taken during the last weeks contributed to increased access to authoritative information (such as WHO or national health authorities), as well as to demotion and removal of harmful content.
The platforms confirmed that they observe a constant flow of false and harmful information, mainly related to health, which they remove in large quantities. (end) nk.hb