The US issues new COVID travel requirements for China

• The United States changes its travel policy.
• A new rule for travelers from China has been announced.
• COVID-19 tests are required for people entering the US from China.

The United States issued a serious advisory requiring COVID-19 tests for travelers from China. This new travel requirement was established because of the fear of the rampant spread of the disease in that country.

Currently, China is experiencing a massive COVID wave after loosening their ‘zero COVID’ policy. And, although it seems like a tough measure on the part of the US, it is not the only country to request this of travelers from Chin, due to fear of a new outbreak.

US AGAINST CHINA?

The Biden administration has made a new request for travelers from China. Through a press release, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced the new rule.

The United States announced new COVID-19 testing requirements for all travelers from China, joining other nations imposing restrictions due to a surge in infections, The Associated Press reported. The announcement caused a reactions on social media where internet users called the change «xenophobic».

What does the new regulation mandate?

The CDC’s press release specified that there are updated requirements for travelers coming from China or the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macao. If people want to board a flight to the United States, they must present a negative COVID-19 test.

“CDC is announcing today that it will implement a requirement for a negative COVID-19 test or documentation of recovery for air passengers boarding flights to the United States originating from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau.»

Why were these measures taken?

The rise in cases in China follows the rollback of the nation’s strict anti-virus controls. China’s ‘zero COVID’ policies kept China’s infection rate low, but fueled public frustration and squashed economic growth, the AP noted.

“CDC is announcing this step to slow the spread of COVID-19 in the United States during the surge in COVID-19 cases in the PRC given the lack of adequate and transparent epidemiological and viral genomic sequence data being reported from the PRC.,» they reported in the statement.

What do they hope to accomplish?

The CDC specified in its statement that they hope to reduce the spread of COVID with these new requirements. It is expected that asking for a negative test prior to entering the country will lessen the risk.

“Pre-departure testing and the requirement to show a negative test result has been shown to decrease the number of infected passengers boarding airplanes, and it will help to slow the spread of the virus as we work to identify and understand any potential new variants that may emerge,» the CDC said. Filed Under: US Covid China Tests

Does this apply to children?

The Lunar New Year, which begins on January 22, is usually China’s busiest travel season, and China announced on Tuesday that it will resume issuing passports for tourism for the first time since the start of the pandemic in 2020, according to the AP. For this reason, the United States government decided to require children two years of age and over to show a negative test.

“Starting at 12:01 AM ET on January 5, all air passengers two years and older originating from the PRC will be required to get a test no more than 2 days before their departure from the PRC, Hong Kong, or Macau, and show a negative test result to the airline upon departure,» said the CDC. Filed Under: US Covid China Tests