BRUSSELS — The European Union could impose a 30-day entry restriction on all nonessential travel into the bloc in the coming days, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday.

“We face a global health crisis,” von der Leyen told journalists after briefing Group of Seven leaders on the proposal.

“The less (we) travel, the more we can contain the virus,” she noted.

The measure is being proposed to all EU leaders as well as European countries that are inside the bloc’s Schengen border-free zone, so would cover 30 countries in total. Britain is also encouraged to align.

Von der Leyen said she expects EU leaders to formally approve the step in an emergency video summit on Tuesday, after receiving strong backing during consultations at the weekend with a majority of member states. The restrictions could be prolonged if necessary.

Exemptions to the ban would apply to long-term EU residents, family members of EU nationals and diplomats, among others, von der Leyen said in a video posted on Twitter.

“Essential staff such as doctors, nurses, care workers, researchers and experts that help address the coronavirus should continue to be allowed in,” she added.

The move comes as the EU executive has sought to streamline member states’ responses to the outbreak of a novel strain of coronavirus, which originated in China’s Wuhan province late last year but whose epicenter has now shifted to Europe.

More than 51,000 cases have been reported across Europe, with at least 2,316 deaths attributed to COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Italy, Spain and France are worst hit, according to data compiled by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

Within Europe’s 26-country Schengen zone, the commission is urging member states to opt for health screening to fight COVID-19 rather than flat-out entry bans. Several countries within the free-travel area have already sealed their borders.

Miles of traffic jams have formed at some border crossings, according to commission spokesman Eric Mamer. Transport restrictions risk triggering shortages and further harming Europe’s economy, which is already taking a battering due to the coronavirus outbreak.

So far, Austria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland have informed the commission of new measures at the border, as well as non-EU members Norway and Switzerland.

Slovakia has stopped almost all entries by foreigners, while Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska announced that the country will close its borders at midnight.

Several European countries have gone into lockdown, shutting schools, cafes, restaurants and restricting other aspects of social life for the coming weeks in a bid to slow the spread of the virus.

Germany looks set to be the latest country to close most shops except supermarkets, as well as banning overnight tourist stays and closing playgrounds and sports facilities, according to a government agreement seen by dpa.

Also Monday, EU finance ministers were considering measures aimed at curbing the economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak, with the commission warning that the bloc’s economy could shrink this year.

The commission anticipates a recession in 2020, with the EU’s economy set to shrink by as much as 1%, according to EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton.