Australia and Canada have joined a growing list of countries to impose Covid tests on Chinese travelers as the country battles a nationwide outbreak after abruptly ending tough lockdown restrictions.
Australian health officials said Sunday that from January 5, all passengers arriving from mainland China, Hong Kong or Macau will be required to show a negative Covid test taken within two days of their departure.
Canadian authorities announced in a statement on Saturday that similar measures will also come into effect on January 5.
Australia and Canada are following other countries including the US, Britain, India, Japan and several European nations in imposing tougher Covid measures on Chinese travelers amid concerns over a lack of data on infections in China and fears new variants could spread .
A passenger of a flight from Beijing exits the terminal after landing at Adolfo Suarez Madrid-Barajas Airport in Barajas, on the outskirts of Madrid, December 31, 2022
Patients with Covid-19 lay in beds at Tangshan Gongren Hospital in China’s northeastern city of Tangshan on December 30, 2022
Australian Health Minister Mark Butler said the change came out of “excessive caution” and because of “a lack of comprehensive information” from China.
“The decision to implement these temporary measures was taken with great caution, considering the dynamic and evolving situation in China and the possibility of new variants emerging in a high transmission environment,” Butler said.
China, which has been following a “zero Covid” strategy for most of the pandemic, imposing strict restrictions to eradicate the virus, abruptly eased those measures in December.
Chinese authorities earlier said that from Jan. 8, overseas travelers would no longer need to quarantine upon arrival in China, paving the way for Chinese residents to travel.
Scientific advisers have said mandatory testing of arrivals from China will not make much of a difference for the UK and have said it is not a priority.
Given the high immunity rates due to widespread vaccine rollout and past infections, and the likely small number of arrivals from the country, epidemiologists don’t have major concerns.
But the UK and Australia and Canada have chosen to follow in the footsteps of the US, India, Japan, Italy and several other nations by mandating mandatory testing for Chinese travellers.
A medical worker in a protective suit registers information for a patient at the entrance of the fever clinic of Wuhan Central Hospital amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Wuhan, east China’s Hubei province, December 31, 2022
Scientific advisers have said mandatory testing of arrivals from China will not make much of a difference for the UK and have said it is not a priority. Pictured: Masked travelers check in at Beijing Capital International Airport on December 29, 2022
This image shows Covid-19 patients on beds at Tianjin Nankai Hospital in Tianjin, December 28, 2022
People release balloons as they gather to celebrate New Year’s Eve amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Wuhan, China’s Hubei province, 1 January 2023
Hong Kong is preparing for quarantine-free travel to China and plans to resume operations at more border checkpoints as early as Jan. 8, according to a Facebook post by Hong Kong Secretary-General Eric Chan.
However, a contingent remains in place that limits the number of travelers between the two locations.
“Depending on the first phase of the situation, we will gradually expand the scope for a full reopening of the border,” Mr Chan said.
In China, eased restrictions meant residents could celebrate the New Year in large gatherings, which have been banned for much of the pandemic, even as the country is experiencing a massive outbreak of cases.
Chinese President Xi Jinping yesterday called for unity amid a “new phase” of his approach to fighting the pandemic in his first public comments on COVID-19 since the lifting of strict lockdown rules.
China’s move followed unprecedented protests against policies championed by Xi and marked the strongest display of public opposition in his ten-year presidency.
People hold balloons as they gather to celebrate New Year’s Eve amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Wuhan, China’s Hubei province, 31 December 2022
In a televised address to mark the New Year, Xi said China has overcome unprecedented hardships and challenges in the fight against COVID, and its policies are “optimized” when the situation and time demand it.
“Since the outbreak of the epidemic … the majority of cadres and masses, especially medical personnel, grass-roots workers have braved difficulties and persevered courageously,” Xi said.
“At present, the prevention and control of the epidemic is entering a new phase, it is still a time of struggle, everyone is persevering and working hard, and the dawn is coming. Let’s work harder, perseverance is victory and unity is victory.”
Xi largely avoided addressing issues the country is facing directly, instead citing achievements in agricultural production, poverty eradication and hosting the Winter Olympics in February.
China will “always remain steadfast in our commitment to peace and development…and stands unswervingly on the right side of history,” he said.