Travelers check in at Cathay Pacific at Hong Kong International Airport on December 20, 2022.
Vernon Yuen | Nurphoto | Getty’s paintings
BEIJING — Some countries have announced recent Covid testing requirements for visitors from China after the mainland announced it could eventually ease border controls.
Japan was the first country to make changes to the regulations, followed by the United States and other countries. Covid-19 infections have skyrocketed this month in mainland China, but limited data is publicly available.
Listed below are a few of the latest policy changes for travelers from China:
Japan
US
From January 5, all airline passengers aged 2 years and over who’re from mainland China, Hong Kong or Macau might be Negative Covid-19 test results from the past two days are required to travel to the US, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Wednesday.
The policy applies to people of all nationalities and vaccination status.
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Testing has declined across China and it’s unclear what variants are circulating on the mainland as genomic surveillance data can also be limited, a federal health official told reporters.
Taiwan
In January, all travelers from mainland China using a direct flight or boat might be required to accomplish that Covid-19 test upon arrival in Taiwan, the local Centers for Disease Control said on Wednesday.
Those that test positive may self-quarantine at home, the notice said.
Rules don’t apply to flights from Hong Kong and Macau.
Italy
All travelers coming from China to Italy might want to get one tested for Covid-19even when only in transit, the European country’s health minister said on Wednesday.
The minister said the country would also sequence the virus, but didn’t say what would occur to travelers who test positive.
As reported by Reuters, health authorities in regions near Milan and Rome said travelers who tested positive may have to self-quarantine in designated buildings.
Australia
Australia isn’t imposing restrictions on visitors from China, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Thursday, in keeping with one official transcript of his interview from Australian Broadcasting Corp.
Albanese said Australia would monitor the situation in China and elsewhere, and take “appropriate advice” from health experts. “Our priority is to maintain Australians as secure as possible,” he said.
Omicron – more infectious but causing less severe disease – has turn into the dominant variant of Covid around the world over the past yr. Most of the world transitioned to a state of living with the virus months before China ended its many Covid controls this month.
From January 8, travelers arriving in mainland China will now not have to be quarantined upon arrival, Beijing announced on Monday. Visitors would still need to point out a negative Covid-19 test end in the last 48 hours.
The Chinese authorities have also announced that they’ll streamline the visa process for foreigners, while resuming the submission of passport applications by Chinese residents for foreign travel, including for tourist purposes. No exact timeframe was given.
— Jihye Lee and Spencer Kimball of CNBC contributed to this report.