USA. The U. S. Department of Health will require negative COVID-19 tests for travelers from China, U. S. fitness said. The U. S. government moved after Beijing moved to lift strict restrictions to engage the virus.
Officials said Wednesday that the new policy, which takes effect Jan. 5, will affect all air passengers over the age of two from China, Hong Kong or Macau.
The tests will need to be done “no more than two days before departure,” a fitness official said. Travelers who test positive more than 10 days before a flight can provide documentation of recovery in lieu of a negative verification result.
On Monday, Beijing said it would remove mandatory COVID quarantines for arrivals starting Jan. 8, prompting many Chinese to rush to plan overseas trips.
China recently experienced a surge in COVID-19 cases after canceling its strict antivirus controls. So-called “zero COVID” policies, which included lockdowns and extensive testing, had slowed the spread of the virus, but they had also caused public frustration and hampered the economy. growth.
Beijing has faced foreign complaints over alleged inconsistencies in its official COVID awareness reports.
“We just have limited data in terms of what’s shared in relation to [the] number of cases increasing, hospitalizations and especially deaths. Also, there has been a reduction in testing in China, so it’s also difficult to know. “what is the true infection rate,” a U. S. fitness official told reporters Wednesday. U. S.
Earlier this week, a U. S. officialHe also warned that China’s lack of genomic knowledge makes it “increasingly difficult for public fitness officials to ensure they will identify potential new variants and take swift action to slow the spread. “
India, Italy, Japan and Taiwan also imposed pandemic-related restrictions on passengers arriving from China.
Britain has no plans to bring back COVID-19 testing for those entering the country, a government spokesman said Thursday.
“There are no plans to reintroduce COVID-19 testing or additional needs for UK arrivals,” the spokesperson said when asked about a Telegraph report that the government is contemplating restricting arrivals from China.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his country had not yet replaced its regulations and that his government would heed “appropriate recommendations from fitness experts. “
Beijing says that the COVID scenario in the country remains “under control” while adapting to new policies.
Al Jazeera’s White House correspondent Kimberly Halkett said that while Beijing dismisses concern about the country’s COVID outbreak as “hype,” the U. S. government is still being overblown. The U. S. government is most commonly involved in what it calls China’s lack of transparency.
“It’s very alarming for the government here in the U. S. “The U. S. government is seeing some kind of worsening of COVID outbreaks in China and not getting the knowledge they’re looking for,” he said.
USA. The U. S. Department of Health and Prevention eliminated testing needs for all passengers in June after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention decided they were no longer needed. USA. The U. S. Department of Health and Security Enforcement still asks tourists and visitors to show evidence of COVID vaccination before entering the country.
Beijing has Washington’s main geopolitical competitor, yet the two countries enjoy deeper economic relations and industrial partnerships.
Last week, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U. S. The U. S. needs China to “control this outbreak” to minimize suffering, restrict the spread of the virus abroad, and avoid disruptions to the global economy.
“We are in a position to continue with other people around the world, adding in China, with this and other COVID-related medical care,” Blinken said.
“China has not requested this assistance to date, but, again, we are ready to provide assistance to anyone who requests it if they think it is useful. “