US to require COVID-19 testing for travelers from China

WASHINGTON – The United States announced a new Requirements for testing for COVID-19 An environment for all travelers from China joining other countries imposing restrictions due to a surge in infections.

The rise in cases in China follows the lifting of strict antiviral controls in the country. China’s “COVID zero” policy has kept China’s infection rate low, but has caused public frustration and undermined economic growth.

Starting Jan. 5, all travelers to the US from China will be required to take a COVID-19 test no more than two days before travel and report a negative result before boarding a flight. Testing is open to everyone aged 2 years and older.

Other countries have taken similar steps to prevent the infection from spreading outside of China. Japan will require a negative COVID-19 test result on arrival for travelers from China, and Malaysia has announced new tracing and surveillance measures. India, South Korea and Taiwan require virus testing for visitors from China.

The Lunar New Year, which begins on January 22, is usually China’s busiest tourist season, and on Tuesday China announced it would resume issuing passports for tourists for the first time since the pandemic began in 2020.

The US action is a return to the requirements for some international travelers. The Biden administration canceled the last such mandate in June.. At the time, the CDC continued to recommend that people boarding a flight to the US get tested shortly before departure and not travel if they are sick.

At the start of the pandemic The US has banned entry to foreigners traveling from China, weeks after the virus first appeared there three years ago. Americans were allowed to return home, and flights from China were diverted to selected airports where passengers were screened for illness.

But the virus was already spreading in the US among people who had never travelled.