DailyExpertNews
—
The United States will require all travelers from China to show a negative Covid-19 test result before flying to the country as Beijing’s rapid easing of Covid-19 restrictions leads to an increase in cases.
Passengers flying from China to the US must undergo a test no later than two days before flying, federal health officials said, and provide proof of the negative test to their airline before boarding.
The tests may be a PCR test or an antigen self-test conducted through a telehealth service.
The requirement applies to passengers flying direct from China to the United States as well as passengers flying through popular gateways in third countries, including Seoul, Toronto and Vancouver.
Passengers who test positive more than 10 days before their flight can provide documentation of their recovery in lieu of a negative test result.
The new rules go into effect at 12:01 AM ET on January 5.
US officials have expressed deep concern over the lack of transparency in China surrounding the most recent spate of cases, particularly the lack of genome sequencing information that could help track down new strains of the coronavirus.
“We know that these measures will not eliminate all risk or completely prevent infected people from entering the United States,” a federal health official said. Still, “together they will help limit the number of people infected and give us early warning of new variants.”
US health officials said the January 5 timeline was chosen to give airlines enough time to adjust operations to implement the new rules. The officials did not estimate how long they expect these rules to remain in place, saying they would “monitor the situation on the ground and adjust if necessary”.
In addition, officials announced that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expanding its traveler-based genomic surveillance program to airports in Seattle and Los Angeles, bringing the total number of participating airports to seven with about 500 weekly flights from at least 30 countries. . This includes approximately 290 weekly flights from China and surrounding areas.
“We’re expanding that to hopefully pick up every possible variant” and “to reduce the carryover of a new variant by introducing this pre-departure testing program,” an official said.
The new requirement comes as Japan and India announced Covid-19 measures for travelers from China amid concerns over an increase in cases.
Japan requires persons traveling from China to be tested for Covid-19 upon arrival from December 30. Indian authorities have said travelers from China, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Thailand must show proof of a negative Covid-19 test upon arrival to India and quarantine if they test positive.
China has begun easing its strict Covid-19 measures after dismantling the country’s long-held zero-Covid policy earlier this month. On Monday, China announced it will end quarantine requirements for international arrivals from January 8, marking a major step toward reopening its borders.
But the sudden end of China’s strict health policies has caught many in the country off guard and strained the health system as it faces a rise in infections.
Officials noted that the “CDC continues to recommend masking during travel, self-monitoring for symptoms, and testing for three days after arrival for international travel.”
Officials said China has uploaded “only about 100” new sequences to public databases in recent weeks, “including Omicron subvariants such as BA.5,” but the small sample size is cause for concern, the CDC said.
“What we are concerned about is that a new variant may emerge in China,” an official said. “With so many people in China becoming infected in a short period of time, there is a chance and chance that a new variant will emerge.”
When asked if there were concerns about the veracity of the data — and whether China was being truthful and transparent — an official said it was the amount of data that preoccupied the administration at the moment.
“We have only limited information in terms of what is being shared regarding the number of cases[that]are increasing hospitalizations, and especially deaths,” he said. “In addition, there has been less testing throughout China. So that also makes it difficult to know what the actual infection rate is.”
China’s foreign ministry responded Wednesday to reports that the US is considering imposing restrictions on travelers from China, calling on parties to work together to ensure the safe movement of people between countries and the stability of the global supply chain.
“We need all parties to scientifically cooperate against the epidemic to ensure the safe movement of people between countries, maintain the stability of the global industrial chain supply chain, and promote the resumption of healthy growth in the global economy” , said the Chinese foreign ministry. spokesman Wang Wenbin said in a briefing.
This story has been updated with additional developments.
