Australia and Canada have joined the ever-increasing list of countries that require a negative covid-test for arrivals from China, Hong Kong, and Macao from January 5, 2023.
Italy recently tested two flights arriving from China, and roughly half of the passengers tested positive for coronavirus (read more here).
According to Reuters, the measure taken by Australia is due to a lack of verifiable information coming out from China:
“I want to stress that the government welcomes the resumption of travel between Australia and China… I also want to stress that this is a temporary measure, reflecting the lack of comprehensive information right now about the situation in China,” said Butler.
The Public Health Agency of Canada issued a statement yesterday:
As the COVID-19 pandemic has continued to evolve, the Government of Canada has taken a prudent and measured approach to adjusting border measures to protect the health and safety of Canadians. In response to the surge of COVID-19 in the People’s Republic of China and given the limited epidemiological and viral genomic sequence data available on these cases, the Government of Canada intends to put in place certain temporary health measures for air travellers entering Canada from China.
These planned health measures will apply to air travellers, regardless of nationality and vaccination status. They are temporary measures, in place for 30 days, that will be reassessed as more data and evidence becomes available. Airlines must receive the negative COVID-19 test result, or documentation of a positive test result taken within the prior 10-90 days, before the traveller boards the plane, otherwise the traveller will be denied boarding.
Conclusion
Let’s hope these are only temporary measures and that China will come “clean” with its Covid-19 situation with other countries.
There is a very high number of infections in China at the moment, and the possibility of a new, more contagious strain of coronavirus popping up.
