China Covid: US set to put restrictions on Chinese arrivals

• Beijing reported a few deaths and around 4,000 new Covid infections every day last week.
• Tighter restrictions on Chinese travellers have already been announced by other countries.
• International visitors need to provide complete Covid vaccination before entering the US.

Following Beijing’s announcement that it would reopen its borders next month, the US is thinking of placing new Covid restrictions on Chinese visitors.

As cases of the virus rise in China, American officials claim that this is because there is a lack of transparency surrounding it.

Tighter restrictions on Chinese travellers have already been announced by Malaysia, Taiwan, Japan, and other countries, including negative test results.

Beijing has stated that the implementation of Covid guidelines should be done “scientifically.”

However, this announcement was made before Beijing declared it would loosen its tough border policy. India is also ratcheting up its precautions against Chinese immigration.

Chinese individuals who want to go abroad can once again apply for passports starting on January 8, according to the nation’s immigration authorities.

Travel websites have seen an increase in traffic, which has some nations concerned about the potential spread of Covid.

According to US authorities, who were reported by news organisations, “there are growing worries in the international community regarding the continuous Covid-19 surges in China and the lack of transparent data, particularly viral genome sequence data.”

China’s spokeswoman for the foreign ministry, Wang Wenbin, later charged that Western nations and the media had “hyped up” and “distorted China’s Covid policy modifications.”

He stated that China thought all nations’ responses to COVID should be “science-based and balanced,” that they shouldn’t “impact normal people-to-people exchange.”

Mr. Wang urged “common efforts to promote economic recovery and growth, maintain stability of global industrial supply chains, and ensure secure cross-border travel.”

Because officials no longer release this information, it is currently unknown how many illnesses and deaths occur every day in China. According to reports, hospitals are overburdened and senior citizens are dying.

Beijing reported a few deaths and around 4,000 new Covid infections every day last week.

People were highly discouraged from travelling overseas prior to the liberalisation of travel regulations. According to marketing solutions provider Dragon Trail International, the selling of outbound group and package trips was prohibited.

In Chinese media, it was reported that within 30 minutes after Monday’s announcement that China’s borders will reopen, searches for popular locations had multiplied tenfold year over year.

The most popular locations were Macau, Hong Kong, Japan, Thailand, and South Korea.

John Lee, the leader of Hong Kong, declared on Wednesday that all remaining Covid regulations would be abolished virtually soon, with the exception of the requirement to wear a face mask.

According to Mr. Lee, the city has a relatively high vaccination rate, which creates an anti-epidemic barrier.

International visitors must still provide documentation of their complete Covid vaccination before entering the US.

The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website also suggests that anyone visiting the US get a Covid test in advance and have their results on hand, but this is not required by law.

The anonymous US authorities further stated that they were “talking with partners” and “following the science and recommendations of public health experts” in their statement.

Following weeks of upheaval, during which time individuals participated in unusual street rallies against President Xi Jinping and his administration, China has relaxed its travel restrictions, the final component of the country’s divisive zero-Covid policy.

Also Read

China’s Covid wave alerts India to new variants

India will randomly test 2% of foreign visitors for Covid-19. Most Indians...