Australia and Canada have joined a growing list of countries to impose Covid tests on Chinese travellers as the country battles a nationwide outbreak after abruptly abandoning stringent lockdown restrictions.
Australian health authorities said on Sunday that from January 5 all air passengers from mainland China, Hong Kong or Macau will need to show a negative Covid test taken within two days of their departure.
Canadian authorities announced in a statement on Saturday that similar measures that will also come into effect on January 5.
Australia and Canada follow other countries including the US, UK, India, Japan and several European nations in imposing tougher Covid measures on Chinese travellers amid concerns over a lack of data on infections in China and fears of the possibility that new variants may spread.
Australian health minister Mark Butler said the change was made out of an ‘abundance of caution’ and because of the ‘lack of comprehensive information’ coming out of China.
‘The decision to implement these temporary measures has been made out of an abundance of caution, taking into account the dynamic and evolving situation in China and the potential for new variants to emerge in an environment of high transmission,’ Mr Butler said.
China, which for most of the pandemic adopted a ‘zero-Covid’ strategy which imposed harsh restrictions aimed at stamping out the virus, abruptly eased those measures in December.
Chinese authorities previously said that, from January 8, overseas travellers would no longer need to quarantine upon arrival in China, paving the way for Chinese residents to travel.
Scientific advisers have said that compulsory testing of arrivals from China will not make a major difference to the UK and have said that it is not a priority.
With high rates of immunity due to the wide rollout of vaccines and previous infections, and small numbers likely to arrive from the country, epidemiologists do not have huge concerns.
But the UK and Australia and Canada have opted to follow in the footsteps of the US, India, Japan, Italy and several other nations by imposing mandatory testing for Chinese travellers.
Hong Kong is preparing for quarantine-free travel to China, with plans to resume operations of more border checkpoints as early as January 8, according to a Facebook post by Hong Kong Chief Secretary Eric Chan.
However, a quota will remain in place limiting the number of travellers between the two places.
Depending on the first phase of the situation, we will gradually expand the scale for a complete reopening of the border,’ Mr Chan said.
In China, eased restrictions meant that residents could celebrate New Year in large-scale gatherings which were prohibited for much of the pandemic, even though the country is experiencing a massive outbreak of cases.
Chinese President Xi Jinping yesterday called for unity amid a ‘new phase’ in its approach to combating the pandemic in his first comments to the public on COVID-19 since abandoning stringent lockdown rules.
The switch by China followed unprecedented protests over the policy championed by Xi, marking the strongest show of public defiance in his decade-old presidency.
In a televised speech to mark the New Year, Xi said China had overcome unprecedented difficulties and challenges in the battle against COVID, and that its policies were ‘optimised’ when the situation and time so required.
‘Since the outbreak of the epidemic… the majority of cadres and masses, especially medical personnel, grassroots workers braved hardships and courageously persevered,’ Xi said.
‘At present, the epidemic prevention and control is entering a new phase, it is still a time of struggle, everyone is persevering and working hard, and the dawn is ahead. Let’s work harder, persistence means victory, and unity means victory.’
Xi largely avoided directly addressing issues confronting the country, pointing instead to successes in agricultural production, poverty elimination and its hosting of the Winter Olympics in February.
