Peter Okoye, PBA Journalism MenteeFollowing the resurgence of COVID-19 in China, no fewer than 15 Countries have imposed fresh restrictions on travelers from the country to contain the spread of the virus.
Countries like: Hong Kong, Thailand, Australia, Canada, Morocco, United Kingdom, France, Spain, South Korea, Malaysia, Italy, United States, Taiwan, Japan, and India, have imposed entry restrictions on travelers from China as they battle the scourge.
The European Union officials had met on Wednesday, 28 December 2022, over the issue and released a statement, urging all the member states to request COVID-19 testing within 48 hours of departure for those flying from China. By this directive, more countries are expected to impose restrictions on travelers from China if the cases do not drop.
Similarly, South Korea’s Health and Welfare Minister, Chokyoo-hong, has also directed that all travelers from China be mandated to present a COVID-19 test result indicating negative before boarding a flight to the country. The Minister further indicated that all arrivals from China must undergo a Polymerase Chain Reaction ( PCR) test on the first day of their arrival.
He also therefore stressed the need for people to be vigilant and prevent the spread of the virus.
Morocco is not left out in the quest to prevent spread of the deadly virus as it has banned all arrivals from China, regardless of nationality. The measure adopted by the north African country is seen as the harshest against travelers from China.
The government of Thailand, through the Health Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, on Thursday, January 5, 2023, said that they will mandate COVID-19 insurance for foreign visitors from areas that require negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test results before returning home. This, the minister said, will help visitors to be able to afford treatment in Thailand before traveling out.
Spanish government also mandated passengers arriving from China to submit a COVID-19 test or prove that their COVID-19 vaccinations are up to date by providing a digital certificate.
While the Taiwan Center for Disease Control maintained that travelers from mainland China to Taiwan during January 2023 will be subjected to PCR testing upon arrival, those who test positive will need to serve a five-day home quarantine.
Prime Business Africa reports that China is battling to curtail the resurgence of the COVID-19 virus which has caused a shortage of both beds and medicines in the nation’s hospitals even as the death tolls keep rising as a result of the sudden lifting of its strict zero COVID-19 measures in December 2022 following a protest against it in Beijing.
During a regular news briefing on Wednesday, 4th January 2023, Chinese Foreign Minister Spokeswoman, Mao Ning, criticised the restriction measures taken against them by other countries for not having a scientific basis.
She further called on countries not to use pandemic preventive measures as an excuse to engage in political manipulation. She warned that her country will also take corresponding measures and will require a negative COVID-19 test for all arrivals, but will soon scrap a mandatory week-long quarantine.
Meanwhile, World Health Organisation (WHO) Director General, Tedro Adhanom Ghebreyesus, on Wednesday, 4th, January 2023 during a news briefing said that it was understandable that some countries are taking steps they believe will protect their citizens owning to the lack of comprehensive data on the outbreak from the Chinese government. The global health body criticised the travel bans as being counterproductive.
He, however, blamed the Chinese government for the disease spread which according to him was as a result of the lack of adequate information from them.
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