Beijing started covid testing on passengers from China
Key Takeaways:
- Beijing criticised the testing necessities for Chinese travellers and threatened to impose sanctions based on reciprocity on the involved nations.
- After abruptly easing restrictions in place for most of the pandemic, China is now fighting a nationwide coronavirus outbreak.
- Before January 8, foreign visitors to China would no longer be subject to quarantine, according to previous announcements by Chinese authorities.
Beijing criticised the testing requirements for Chinese travellers and threatened to take reciprocity-based sanctions against the countries involved.
At a daily briefing on Tuesday, foreign ministry spokesman Mao Ning stated, “We believe that the entry limitations adopted by some nations targeting China lack scientific basis, and also some excessive practises are even more unacceptable.”
“We will take countermeasures relying on the principle of reciprocity,” she said. “We are firmly averse to attempts to alter the COVID measures for political purposes.”
As China battles a country-wide coronavirus outbreak after abruptly loosening restrictions that had been in place for the majority of the pandemic, Australia and Canada this week joined a growing list of nations requiring travellers from China to accept a COVID-19 test before boarding their flight.
Other nations, including the United States, the United Kingdom, India, Japan, and several European countries, have announced tougher COVID-19 measures on Chinese travellers in response to worries about the absence of information on infections in China and the potential for the spread of new variants.
In December, China abruptly relaxed the strict restrictions it had been enforcing as part of its “zero-COVID” strategy, which it had used for most of the pandemic to eradicate the virus.
Chinese authorities previously announced that beginning on January 8, foreign visitors would no longer require quarantine upon arrival in China, allowing Chinese citizens to travel.
