U.S. Will Require COVID-19 Testing for Travelers from China: The Biden administration on Wednesday announced that travelers from China will be required to produce a negative COVID-19 test starting next week. Citing China’s massive COVID-19 wave and concerns about a “lack of adequate and transparent epidemiological and viral genomic sequence data being reported from the PRC,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that airline passengers will be required to show a negative test taken no more than two days before their departure starting Jan. 5.
Travelers who tested positive for COVID-19 more than 10 days before the flight can provide documentation of recovery instead of a negative test result, the agency said. These data are critical to monitor the case surge effectively and decrease the chance for entry of a novel variant of concern,” the agency said in a press release. “CDC will continue to monitor the situation and adjust our approach as necessary.
The move comes after other countries have implemented similar strategies, with Japan on Tuesday requiring travelers from China to be tested upon arrival. Malaysia and Taiwan also announced new measures for travelers from mainland China, including increased tracking and surveillance and PCR testing.
The news comes after China relaxed its strict COVID-19 measures earlier this month. Further, it announced on Monday that it will end quarantine requirements for international arrivals on Jan. 8.
China’s coronavirus wave, which experts believe is vastly underreported, is leading to U.S. concerns that the high level of transmission could lead to a new, more dangerous variant popping up.
The U.S. last week elevated its travel advisory for China to “reconsider travel” due to the “surge in COVID-19 cases, arbitrary enforcement of local laws, and COVID-19-related restrictions.”
The U.S. has shown no signs that it is considering a “travel ban” or prohibiting people from traveling to the U.S. from China.
