France, England and Spain apply mandatory Covid-19 tests for travelers from China Page all

PARIS, KOMPAS.com – FrenchUK and Spain on Friday (30/12/2022) added to the list of countries now implementing mandatory rules Covid-19 test for travelers from China.

In addition to these three countries, South Korea and Israel have also said they will require proof of a negative Covid-19 test for travelers leaving China.

In various parts of the world, concern has rekindled over the surge in Covid-19 cases in the “Bamboo Curtain Country”.

Read also: Discussing Covid-19 Spike, WHO Urges China to Share Real-Time Data!

Several reports state that hospitals and morgues in China are overwhelmed in providing services.

However, China insisted on Friday that it had been transparent in sharing data on Covid-19.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin rejected suggestions that his country did not provide the data.

“Since the outbreak of the epidemic, China has shared relevant information and data with the international community, including WHOopenly and transparently,” he said, quoted by AFP extension.

“We shared sequence novel coronavirus at the earliest opportunity, thus making an important contribution to the development of relevant vaccines (and) medicines in other countries,” he added.

Read also: North Korea strictly bans travelers from China due to COVID-19

China’s national disease control agency said there were about 5,500 new local cases and one death on Friday.

But, as the Chinese government has halted mass testing and narrowed the criteria for what counts as Covid deaths, the numbers are no longer believed to reflect reality.

List of countries where Covid test is mandatory for travelers from China

In an effort to avoid importing the new variant of the coronavirus, Britain, France, Spain, South Korea and Israel have finally teamed up to mandate a negative Covid-19 test for all travelers from mainland China.

Previously it was Italy, Japan, India, Malaysia, Taiwan and the United States who had done it first.

In the case of the UK, the requirement to test negative for Covid-19 came into effect on 5 January 2023.

“The main concern lies in the possible emergence of a new variant in China that has not been controlled,” said Spanish Health Minister Carolina Darias.

“Given the health situation in the country, we know the importance of acting in coordination, but also the importance of acting quickly,” he added.

Meanwhile, Switzerland and Germany appear to be taking a different stance.

Read also: Half of the passengers on the flight from China to Milan are positive for Covid-19, Italy is on alert

Switzerland has said it will keep its borders open to arrivals from China.

Germany also said on Friday that it does not currently see the need to impose routine tests on arrivals from China.

The European Union’s infectious disease agency (ECDC) said on Thursday that entry restrictions for travelers from China would not be justified at this time, due to high levels of immunity in the EU and the European Economic Area .

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