New Zealand government: Negative Covid-19 reports not required for China travelers

Key Takeaways:

• The New Zealand government declared that it would waive its requirement that arriving Chinese visitors show a COVID-19 test result.
• The majority of EU countries support pre-departure COVID testing for travellers from China, according to the European Commission.
• All visitors to New Zealand are required to get tested if they exhibit symptoms, and the country provides free tests at the airport.

The New Zealand government announced that it would not demand that visitors from China present a negative COVID-19 test upon arrival, bucking an international trend that has seen many nations enact testing requirements as COVID cases soar in China.

Ayesha Verrall, the COVID-19 minister for New Zealand, stated on Wednesday that a risk analysis of the country’s public health had found that visitors from China would not significantly increase the number of cases.

The minister stated there was little risk to New Zealand’s public health.

“Officials have assessed the risk to the public’s health, taking into account possible case scenarios among Chinese travellers. The minister said that these visitors wouldn’t significantly increase the number of COVID cases, proving that entry restrictions are neither necessary nor justified.

To gather more information, officials will ask some Chinese travellers to take voluntary tests. According to Verrall, this reflects New Zealand’s and the World Health Organization’s (WHO) concerns about China’s lack of information sharing.

To test whether waste testing can take the place of targeted and voluntary testing of individuals, New Zealand also plans to test this method on international flights.

Because they were concerned about the scope of the outbreak in China and their mistrust of Beijing’s health statistics, several nations, including Australia, the United Kingdom, and also the United States, require that travellers from China present a negative COVID test.

These actions have drawn criticism from China for being prejudiced.

To develop a coordinated response to the effects of increased travel from China, health officials from the 27-member European Union are scheduled to meet on Wednesday.

According to the European Commission, most EU nations support pre-departure COVID testing for travellers from China.

Beginning January 8, China will no longer require incoming travellers to undergo quarantine. Since the pandemic started in late 2019, China has been mostly cut off from the outside world. 

However, it will continue to require that all incoming travellers undergo testing before setting out on their trips.

In the meantime, Chinese scientists were invited to present comprehensive data on viral sequencing as well as share hospitalisation, death, and vaccination data before the meeting. On Tuesday, WHO officials met with them.

The meeting outcome will be released later at a news briefing on Wednesday. The organisation anticipated a “detailed discussion” about the circulated variants in China, and worldwide, a spokesperson had earlier stated.

China’s infection rate has increased since the nation’s strict zero-COVID policy was abandoned on December 7.

New Zealand requires all visitors to test if they develop symptoms, and the nation offers free tests at the airport.