BEIJING (AP) — Australia and Canada have joined a growing list of countries requiring travelers from China to undergo a COVID-19 test before boarding their flight, as China faces a outbreak of COVID-19. for much of the pandemic.
Australian health authorities said on Sunday that from January 5, all air travelers from mainland China, Hong Kong or Macau will be required to present a negative COVID-19 test within two days of departure.
Canadian authorities announced similar measures that will also take effect on January 5 in a statement on Saturday.
Australia and Canada are joining other countries, including the US, Britain, India, Japan and several European nations, in imposing tougher COVID-19 measures on Chinese travelers amid concerns about a lack of data on infections in China and fears related to the possibility of new variants. spread. .
China, which for most of the pandemic adopted a “zero-COVID” strategy that imposed tough restrictions to eradicate the virus, suddenly relaxed those measures in December. Chinese authorities previously said that starting January 8, foreign travelers will no longer need to be quarantined upon arrival in China, opening the way for Chinese residents to travel.
Hong Kong is also preparing for quarantine-free travel to China, with plans to resume operations at several border checkpoints as early as January 8, according to a Facebook post by Hong Kong Chief Secretary Eric Chan.
However, a quota limiting the number of passengers between the two seats will remain in place.
“Depending on the first phase of the situation, we will gradually expand the scale to fully reopen the border,” Chan said.
In China, the easing of restrictions has allowed residents to celebrate the New Year in large-scale gatherings that were banned for much of the pandemic, even as the country grapples with a massive outbreak of cases.
“There are still some concerns,” said Wu Yanxia, a 51-year-old Beijing resident who works at a logistics company. “I hope next year everything will be normal, like domestic travel.”
Others hope that 2023 will bring better things after a difficult past year.
“We experienced a very uneven year, a particularly unforgettable one, with many things beyond our imagination,” said Li Feng, a teacher in Beijing, adding that 2022 was a difficult year for both the people and the government.
“But I think we’re done and everything will be fine,” Li said. “We will all always be better both at work and in life.”
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