World News | UK introduces negative COVID test requirement for travelers from China

LONDON, Dec. 31 (PTI) — Britain joins a growing number of countries, including India, in imposing restrictions on travelers from China after Chinese authorities eased strict “zero COVID” rules.

Passengers arriving in the UK from China from 5 January 2023 will need to show a negative COVID-19 Pre-Departure Test (PDT) taken no more than two days before departure.

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While there are no direct flights from China to Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, the government said it was working with devolved regions to ensure it was implemented across the UK as soon as possible.

Health Secretary Steve Barclay said: “With COVID cases rising in China ahead of the reopening of borders next week, we are assessing the data while announcing these temporary measures is the right balance and precaution.”

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“This has enabled our world-leading scientists at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to quickly understand potential new variants circulating in China. However, the best defense against the virus remains a vaccine,” he said on Friday.

Airlines will be required to check that all passengers arriving from China have taken a negative test before departure and will not allow passengers to board the plane if no evidence of a negative test result is provided.

In addition, UKHSA will begin monitoring from 8 January, when samples of passengers arriving in the UK from mainland China will be tested for COVID-19 on arrival.

Passengers at Heathrow Airport will be invited to take part in the study and all positive samples will be sent for sequencing.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said this would further enhance the UK’s ability to identify any new variants that may be circulating in China that can evade the immune response of people who have already been vaccinated, or have the potential to successfully defeat variants in others and spread internationally.

The government said the measures were “precautionary and temporary” to further boost the UK’s ability to detect potential new variants of COVID from China following an increase in cases in China and the easing of border measures next week.

India has joined the US, Japan, Italy and Taiwan in imposing mandatory COVID-19 testing for travelers from China amid a surge in COVID-19 after authorities relaxed strict “zero COVID” rules.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)