US to Require Negative Covid Tests for Travelers From China

The US will require airline passengers from China to have negative Covid-19 tests in order to fly to the US.

Travelers coming directly from China or who were in the country 10 days before their departure to the US will be required to show a negative test for the coronaviruses, according to federal health officials. There will be a testing requirement on January 5. Time in New York.

Since the government lifted its policy of strict isolation for exposed people, covid has been spreading quickly in China. Estimates from the Chinese government's top health authority show that almost 37 million people may have been exposed to the virus on a single day.

The US health officials were considering taking new precautions for travelers from China because of the lack of transparency. The officials said on the call that US health experts are particularly concerned about the emergence of new variant that may not be picked up in testing in China.

The officials said on the call that passengers who tested positive more than a week before can provide documentation and recovery from Covid.

Italian health authorities said they will begin testing all arrivals from China for Covid after nearly half of passengers on two flights to Milan were found to have the disease. Japan, Malaysia, and India are some of the countries that are increasing their monitoring.

Concerns about the ability to detect new viral variants have arisen as countries abandon travel restrictions that were put in place during the Pandemic Era.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention collaborated with Ginkgo and other companies to collect samples from travelers who arrived in the US from India. Travelers from more than 27 countries have been included in the program, which is run out of six major US airports.