US announces new COVID-19 testing requirement for travelers from China
By CARLA K. JOHNSON AP Medical Writer
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The U.S. announced new COVID-19 testing requirements Wednesday for all travelers from China, joining other nations imposing restrictions because of a surge of infections.
The increase in cases across China follows the rollback of the nation’s strict anti-virus controls. China’s “zero COVID” policies had kept China’s infection rate low but fueled public frustration and crushed economic growth.
Beginning Jan. 5, all travelers to the U.S. from China will be required to take a COVID-19 test no more than two days before travel and provide a negative test before boarding their flight. The testing applies to anyone 2 years and older.
Other countries have taken similar steps in an effort to keep infections from spreading beyond China’s borders. Japan will require a negative COVID-19 test upon arrival for travelers from China, and Malaysia announced new tracking and surveillance measures. India, South Korea and Taiwan are requiring virus tests for visitors from China.
Lunar New Year, which begins Jan. 22, is usually China’s busiest travel season, and China announced Tuesday it will resume issuing passports for tourism for the first time since the start of the pandemic in 2020.
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AP Photo/Andy Wong, File
Inbound travelers need to take a PCR test before flying and quarantine in a hotel for five days and at home for three days upon arrival. That may seem strict, but prior to updated regulations earlier this month, travelers needed to take two PCR tests before flying and quarantine for seven days in a hotel and three days at home. Earlier the quarantine period was 14 days. China also ended its "circuit breaker" policy of shutting down a flight for a week or two if a certain percentage of passengers aboard tested positive for COVID-19, with the length of the ban dependent upon how many had the virus.
AP Photo/Andy Wong, File
Travelers on domestic flights, trains or buses who are close contacts of someone with COVID-19 need to quarantine for five days at designated sites, plus three days at home. Prior to November changes, the quarantine time was longer and the close contacts of the person with close contact to someone with COVID also needed to isolate. People who visited areas in China deemed "high-risk" also need to quarantine for seven days at home.
AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File
Inside China, individuals need to show their personal "green code"—- indicating they are COVID negative—- when entering public places like shopping malls and restaurants, or when using public transit. Everyone must register with their identification papers, and the code is then displayed through a smartphone app. Staying "green" means not contracting COVID-19, not being a close contact of someone with the virus, and not visiting areas deemed to be a risk. If there is an outbreak in your area, local authorities may require regular testing to keep the code green. In Beijing at the moment, for example, residents need to undergo a rapid COVID test at least every 48 hours at a government-approved facility.
AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File
China has reacted quickly and decisively to any detection of COVID-19, and has locked down parts of, or entire cities. At the moment the central urban area of Chongqing, with about 10.3 million people, is in lockdown as is part of Guangzhou.
The decision on what to lock down depends upon the scale of the outbreak, and smaller lockdowns of buildings, building compound areas or city districts is common. Entire apartment building units are locked down if a single resident is found to have COVID, and people are not allowed to leave for at least five days. Food and other essential supplies can be ordered for delivery.
Similarly, office buildings are locked down if someone in the building tests positive for COVID until the building can be disinfected, a process that usually takes several days.
AP Photo/Andy Wong, File
China has in place many other regulations that would be familiar to most from the early months of the pandemic. Social distancing is encouraged, and people have to wear masks in public venues. In areas where there is believed to be a risk of COVID transmission, there are restrictions on large gatherings, restaurants are closed for indoor dining, and enhanced disinfection measures are required at public venues.
Much like the bubble measures imposed for the 2022 Winter Olympic s in Beijing, facilities where people are deemed most at risk, like nursing homes, have so-called "closed-loop management" plans in place.
