China’s borders will fully reopen on January 8 for the first time in nearly 3 years
France and Spain have announced Covid testing on visitors from China, following a resolution in Italy.
The French government said passengers traveling from China to France will be required to provide a negative Covid result less than 48 hours before boarding.
Arrivals in Spain can be skipped if fully vaccinated, and Spain accepts some Chinese vaccines.
Beijing has announced it will reopen its borders next week for the first time since March 2020.
Its rise in Covid has generated distrust, with reports of hospitals full and waves of disease.
The United Kingdom, South Korea and Israel also announced new regulations on Friday, while the United States and India have already imposed restrictions.
“Nationally, we will set up controls at airports and require travelers from China to provide a negative Covid or be fully vaccinated,” Spanish Health Minister Carolina Darias said.
Neither France nor Spain when the measures would come into force.
However, the French ministries of fitness and shipping said the government would draw up a decree and tell EU member states.
On Thursday, the European Agency for Disease Prevention said such measures were justified in Europe, due to immunity levels and the fact that variants spreading in China were already available on the continent.
However, the World Health Organization said it was “understandable” that some countries would have to impose restrictions and suggested Beijing be more open about its covid numbers.
China’s Foreign Ministry said earlier this week that its “epidemic situation” is fully “predictable and under control. “
But the actual number of cases and deaths in China is unknown, as the government stopped requiring cases to be reported and replaced rankings of covid deaths.
South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-so said travelers from China go through a negative PCR or antigen test before boarding flights to South Korea.
They will also have to go through a PCR check on the first day of their arrival in South Korea.
Meanwhile, Israel has ordered foreign airlines not to allow others to leave China unless they have tested negative, and has called on its own citizens to avoid the unnecessary there.
Not all countries have announced controls. Germany joined Australia, France and Portugal in saying there may not be any new regulations yet.
However, Germany’s fitness minister said the country is looking for a coordinated formula to monitor variants at European airports.
This week’s resolution by China to reopen its borders on Jan. 8 marks the newest step in the country’s questionable zero-covid policy, which President Xi Jinping had approved.
While the rest of the world moved to live with the virus, Beijing maintained a policy of eradication that involved a massive and strict lockdown.
In November, frustration poured into the streets over the rare protests against M. Xi and his government. A week later, Beijing began lifting restrictions.
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