The US and Italy joined an increasing number of nations requiring Covid tests for travelers from China, with concerns over the risk of any new variant emerging from the surge in infections in the country.
Similar measures were unveiled this week by Japan and Taiwan. Almost 37 million people are thought to have been affected by an outbreak in China last week. The border will reopen on January 8.
China's Covid Zero policy was completely reversed in recent weeks. The country loosened inbound and outbound travel restrictions, which led to the spread of new infections.
The reopening of China will have a positive effect on tourism and retailers in Asia and beyond. The testing requirements recently put in place in other countries are similar to the restrictions China has placed on Covid for the past three years.
Wang said that Covid measures in all countries should be science-based and not affect normal people-to- people exchange.
Italy, the first European country to be hit hard by Covid, is urging other countries in the region to adopt a collective testing agreement.
Travelers coming from China or who were in the country 10 days before their departure to the US will have to show a negative test for the coronaviruses. The requirement will go into effect at 12:01 a.m. on January 5. Time in New York.
The officials said on the call that passengers who tested positive more than 10 days before travel can provide documentation and recovery from Covid. Before boarding flights to the US, airlines will need to confirm the negative Covid test. Travelers from Hong Kong and Macau are subject to the requirements.
The Taiwan Centers for Disease Control said that people going to Taiwan from China will be tested for diseases after arriving. People who test positive will have to stay indoors for five days.
Almost half of the passengers on two flights from China tested positive for the disease, but most weren't showing symptoms. There is no concern that a new variant will be found in the Milan tests.
The UK, Australia and Germany are keeping a close eye on the situation.
Several countries have taken steps to welcome Chinese tourists who have not been able to travel outside of China for the past three years. The French embassy in Beijing said on Weibo that they welcome Chinese travelers. Several European nations, as well as Thailand, Australia, New Zealand and others, have publicly expressed their opinions.
There have been a lot of cases in China. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will add two more airports to its program of collecting samples for genetic testing of travelers. The program covers passengers on hundreds of flights from many countries.
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 health officials want China to release data and genomes of the virus.
There is a high chance of a new variant emerging due to the high number of people affected. The officials said that China is sending a small amount of the virus to an international database. The virus can be more transmissible if there are new changes.
According to an email from the global database that tracks Covid mutations, China continues to increase the amount of research on the coronaviruses.
Madison Muller and Dong Lyu aided in the project.
(Updates to add public statements by some countries welcoming Chinese tourists. An earlier version of this story was corrected to reflect the accurate spelling of Chinese foreign ministry spokesman’s name.)
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