China resumes international travel: Which countries are introducing new COVID

Countries are imposing new COVID-19 measures on travellers coming from China as international travel resumes.

So far in the EU, France, Italy and Spain have announced stepped up rules on travellers from China in response to rising cases. 

Italy was the first EU country to tighten restrictions, ordering COVID-19 antigen swabs and virus sequencing for all travellers coming from China, the health minister announced last month.

Spain became the second European country to announce COVID restrictions on travellers from China, who will now need to provide a negative test result or proof of vaccination.

After initially saying it was unnecessary to increase border controls, France has announced it will require a negative PCR or antigen test taken less than 48 hours before boarding for all travellers coming from China as of 5 January.

The Belgian mayor has also called for COVID checks to be reintroduced on tourists entering from China. The government announced on Monday that it will test wastewater from planes arriving from China for new COVID variants as part of new steps against the spread of the coronavirus. 

An EU wide decision on the matter is yet to be reached, with talks set to continue on Wednesday 4 January. EU health chief Stella Kyriakides has suggested immediately scaling up genomic sequencing of COVID-19 infections and monitoring of waste water, including from airports, to detect any new variants given the virus surge in China.

The UK has U-turned on its original statement that it has no plans to bring back COVID-19 testing for those arriving from China. As of 5 January, it will require a pre-departure negative COVID-19 test, the Department of Health said on Friday. 

China has clapped back at the targeted entry restrictions saying they lack scientific basis and are unreasonable. Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, said on Tuesday that the country is “firmly opposed to such practices” and threatened retaliation.

Which other countries have introduced COVID restrictions for arrivals from China?

Elsewhere, Australia, Canada, India, Israel, Malaysia, Morocco, Qatar, South Korea, Taiwan and the USA have introduced additional COVID measures for arrivals from China.

After originally saying it would not reintroduce testing, Australia has announced that travellers arriving from China will need to submit a negative COVID-19 test from 5 January.

Air travellers to Canada from China must test negative for COVID-19 no more than two days before departure, Ottawa said.

India has mandated a COVID-19 negative test report for travellers arriving from China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Thailand. Passengers from those countries will be quarantined if they show symptoms or test positive.

Israel’s newly appointed Health Minister Aryeh Deri has announced new COVID-19 testing requirements for travellers from China, according to the Times of Israel.

Malaysia has put in place additional tracking and surveillance measures. It will screen all inbound travellers for fever and test wastewater from aircraft arriving from China for COVID-19.

Morocco will impose a ban on people arriving from China of all nationalities from 3 January.