Multiple countries across the globe have imposed restrictions on travelers from China amidst the unprecedented surge in cases there.
The increase began as Chinese officials suddenly dropped their draconian “zero-Covid” curbs without any guardrails in place to ensure an orderly transition.
In putting the restrictions in place, health officials cited a lack of transparency on information from China about variants currently in circulation.
In India, officials have mandated that travelers present a negative coronavirus test if arriving from China, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Thailand, the health minister said. Passengers from those countries will be quarantined if they show symptoms or test positive.
Italy will require Covid antigen swabs and virus sequencing for all travelers arriving from China. Milan’s main airport, Malpensa, had already started testing passengers arriving from Beijing and Shanghai. “The measure is essential to ensure surveillance and detection of possible variants of the virus in order to protect the Italian population,” Ministro Della Salute Orazio Schillaci said.
The Italian government is also encouraging the European Union to adopt a similar stance but some EU countries are resisting the move.
Japan said it will require all arriving passengers from mainland China to present a negative coronavirus test. Those individuals who test positive will be required to quarantine for seven days. The new measures go into effect at midnight on December 30. The government also said that it would limit requests from airlines to increase the number of flights to and from China.
In Taiwan, the Central Epidemic Command Centre said all passengers on direct flights from China, as well as those traveling via boat to two offshore islands, will have to take PCR tests upon arrival, starting on January 1, 2023.
Finally, the United States announced on Wednesday that it will mandate coronavirus tests for all travelers from China, Hong Kong, and Macau, regardless of nationality. All arriving foreign passengers continue to be required to present proof of full vaccination against SARS-CoV-2. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that Americans don’t travel to those three destinations at the present time.
(Photo: Accura Media Group)
