Travellers from China now face restrictions when entering more than a dozen countries as concern grows over its surge in Covid-19 cases, with Australia and Canada being the latest to demand negative tests before arrival.
The latest curbs were announced on Sunday as Covid-19 overwhelmed hospitals and funeral homes across China.
Global health experts say the virus that causes Covid-19 is likely infecting millions of people a day after Beijing dismantled its “zero-Covid” policy of strict lockdowns and mass testing last month. The National Health Commission has also stopped the publication of daily figures on infections and deaths.
Australian Health Minister Mark Butler on Sunday cited Beijing’s “lack of comprehensive information” about Covid-19 cases as the reasoning behind the travel requirement, which will take effect on January 5.
The move will “safeguard Australia from the risk of potential new emerging variants,” he said.
The Canadian government also cited “the limited epidemiological and viral genomic sequence data available” on recent Covid-19 cases in China for its negative test demand.
“These planned health measures will apply to air travellers, regardless of nationality and vaccination status,” the government said in a news release. “They are temporary measures, in place for 30 days, that will be reassessed as more data and evidence becomes available.”
In recent days, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan have also imposed either a negative Covid test requirement or testing upon arrival for travellers from China.
Meanwhile, Morocco moved to ban all arrivals from China on Saturday, “to avoid a new wave of contaminations in Morocco and all its consequences”.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has called the precautionary measures “understandable” in light of the lack of information and urged Beijing to share more data on genetic sequencing, as well as figures on hospitalisations, deaths and vaccinations.
Source: Eyewitness New, Euro News, Bangkok Post, Al Jazeera, image from Twitter: @ABCPolitics