European Union member states proposed that all passengers on flights to and from China wear medical-grade masks. The bloc also agreed to a requirement that travelers from China to one of the 27 EU countries will have to provide a negative Covid-19. Check taken no later than 48 hours before departure. This follows the example of France, Italy and Spain, which in the past announced they would require negative Covid checks for travelers from China.
The new recommendations came at an assembly of Schengen countries on Wednesday, where nations agreed on a “coordinated precautionary approach” that includes random testing of passengers arriving in Europe from China, as well as sequencing positive effects for variant surveillance. Other recommended measures come with testing and sequencing of airport wastewater with foreign flights and planes from China.
The EU resolution would triple the number of countries requiring the prior arrival of travelers from China from a dozen to more than 3 dozen.
The Chinese government protested against recently imposed needs and threatened to take reciprocal countermeasures.
Late last month, China announced it would remove quarantine needs for foreign arrivals and allow outbound travel for Chinese citizens. China will require foreign visitors to provide a negative Covid-19 check before entering the country.
As of today, the United States requires travelers from China to take a Covid-19 check. All air passengers over the age of two will require a negative verification result within 48 hours prior to departure from China, Hong Kong or Macau.
Other countries that require negative Covid tests for China are Canada, Britain, Japan, Australia, Malaysia, Taiwan, South Korea and India.
Just 3 days before China’s announcement, the U. S. State Department was in charge of China. The U. S. Department of Health had reissued its Level 3 advisory, encouraging Americans to reconsider China, Hong Kong, and Macau “due to emerging COVID-19 cases, arbitrary enforcement of local laws, and similar COVID-19 restrictions. “.