The European Parliament building in Brussels | Leon Neal/Getty Images European Parliament switches session from Strasbourg due to coronavirus Journey would involve ‘significantly higher health risks,’ president says.

The European Parliament will hold its plenary session next week in Brussels rather than Strasbourg to avoid "significantly higher health risks" due to the coronavirus, Parliament President David Sassoli said in an email Thursday.

The decision came several days after Sassoli announced measures to ban access to the Parliament for some visitors in an effort to lower the risk of spreading the virus.

"While the measures I already decided on 2 March 2020 still allow Parliament’s core functions to be discharged on its premises, it now appears that the journey to the part-session of Parliament in Strasbourg would involve significantly higher health risks for Members and staff as well as the local population," Sassoli wrote in the email, seen by POLITICO. He added that according to the Parliament's medical service, "the situation has evolved over the last few days and hours."

"I have therefore decided that, as a security measure and by derogation from the meeting calendar for 2020 as approved, next week’s part-session will exceptionally be held in Brussels for reasons of force majeure," he added.