Countries imposing COVID rules for travellers from China

Several countries have announced new measures for travelers from mainland China, including increased tracking and surveillance and PCR testing. The move comes after China relaxed its strict COVID-19 measures announcing that it will end quarantine requirements for international arrivals on January 8. The Biden administration announced that travelers from China will be required to produce a negative COVID-19 test starting next week. In a statement, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that airline passengers will be required to show a negative test taken no more than two days before their departure starting 5th Jan. Travelers who tested positive for COVID-19 more than 10 days before the flight can provide documentation of recovery instead of a negative test result, the agency said. The decision comes after other countries have implemented similar strategies, with Japan on Tuesday requiring travelers from China to be tested upon arrival.

Starting Jan 5, 2023: Travelers flying to U.S. from China, or who have been in China in the past 10 days & are flying from certain airports, must show a negative #COVID19 test taken within 2 days before #travel to the US or documentation of recovery. https://t.co/VSJz2W6kPT pic.twitter.com/J9DujizieA

— CDC (@CDCgov) December 28, 2022

;Malaysia and Taiwan has also announced new measures for travelers from mainland China, including increased tracking and surveillance and PCR testing. India has also announced safety measures like testing and medical scrutiny of passengers, coming from China and other countries where the virus is prevalent. A statement by the Foreign Ministry said, inbound travellers to China are advised to take a nucleic acid test within 48 hours before their departure. Japan’s new border measures for China will go into effect at midnight on December 30, just as the country heads into New Year’s holidays marked by parties and travel, when infections are expected to rise. Travellers from mainland China will need to have a negative COVID-19 test on arrival. Those who test positive will be quarantined for seven days at designated facilities and their samples will be used for genome analysis.