The list of countries grows day by day. As China finalizes its “covid zero” strategy amid recovery from the epidemic, several states have decided to reinstate entry restrictions on their territory.
If France will soon announce control measures and wishes to “act in a coordinated manner with the other EU Member States”, some of the 27 have already taken the initiative.
Test in Italy, control in Spain
This is particularly the case in Italy, which first decided on Thursday to impose mandatory testing on all travelers from China. A measure considered “essential to guarantee the surveillance and individualization of possible variants of the virus in order to protect the Italian population,” according to the Italian Minister of Health, Orazio Schillaci.
Another European country that has done the same this Friday: Spain. Madrid officially announced this Friday to reestablish “controls” at its airports for travelers from China. Health Minister Carolina Darias, who did not specify when this measure would come into effect, indicated that these travelers will be asked for “proof that they are negative (…) or a complete vaccination schedule.”
Of all the member countries of the European Union, Spain and Italy were the most affected by the Covid-19 pandemic at the beginning of it in March 2020.
Several Asian countries are preparing
Another country that will soon introduce restrictions: the United States. In fact, Washington will require a negative Covid test within 48 hours of January 5 for all travelers over the age of two who are flying in from China. A measure that will also apply to passengers from Hong Kong and Macao.
Japan, India, Malaysia and Taiwan also announced this week a strengthening of sanitary measures for travelers from China, including the presentation of a negative test.
South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo also made the same decision for his country on Friday, effective until “February next year.”
Also on Friday, Israel “decided to order foreign airlines to accept foreign nationals on a flight from China to Israel only if they have tested negative for Covid.” An announcement made by the new Minister of Health, Arié Dery.
Measures considered “understandable” by the WHO
The head of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, described the protection measures adopted by these countries as “understandable”. “In the absence of full information from China, it is understandable that countries are taking the measures they believe will protect their people,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Chinese authorities reaffirmed on Friday that their statistics on the progression of Covid have always been transparent.
A European health agency has considered for its part that the establishment of screening in the European Union would be “unjustified” for the moment, given the level of immunity in Europe and the presence of the same variants of Covid-19 as in China. .
Source: BFM TV
