England joins a growing list of nations that are strengthening restrictions on Chinese immigrants as the country struggles with a significant increase in cases following the repeal of several of its strict coronavirus legislation.
The government has mandated that those arriving in England from mainland China must present a negative COVID test before flying.
In recent days, an increasing number of nations, including the United States, have announced similar regulations.
The Department of Health and Social Care announced on January 5 that the “precautionary and temporary” measure will go into force.
Two days before travel, the negative test must have been conducted.
Some arrivals will also be screened for potential novel COVID variants, but it is believed that the strains circulating in China are identical to those seen in the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe.
The government stated that it was collaborating with the administrations of Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland to implement identical regulations in those regions.
However, there are no direct flights between China and these nations.
As a result of China’s relaxation of some of its traditionally strict coronavirus regulations, such as regular PCR testing, there has been an increase in infections.
Next week, its border controls will also be loosened, and more individuals are expected to travel overseas, so there are concerns that this could lead to an increase in global cases.
According to stolen papers, officials calculated that 250 million people caught the virus in the first 20 days of December.
As asymptomatic cases are no longer documented, the actual number of positive cases in Shanghai could be significantly greater than 5.43 million.
According to the Department of Health, China has been slapped with new regulations due to a “lack of comprehensive health information.”
They added: “The situation remains under review, and the United Kingdom is collaborating with China to determine the next actions. Temporary measures will be reconsidered if there are improvements in information exchange and more transparency.”
Health Secretary Steve Barclay stated that the nation’s approach was “balanced and cautious.”
Professor Susan Hopkins, the chief medical advisor at the UK Health Security Agency, stated that the increase in cases in China was likely “related to low natural immunity and decreased vaccine uptake, including boosters, as opposed to the introduction of novel COVID-19 variants.
Spain, Italy, Japan, South Korea, the United States, and India are among the countries that have lately implemented new immigration regulations.
On Friday, the French minister of transport stated that modifications would likewise be implemented beginning January 1.
Before traveling from China, negative tests will be required, masks will be required, and tests will be administered upon arrival in France.
The European Union’s health agency has stated that mandatory COVID checks for Chinese travelers are “unjustified.
Conservative MP Craig Mackinlay responded to the UK government’s proposal by stating that he was “opposed to additional, creeping limitations and lockdowns” but that “preventing entrance to positive instances is a sensible measure.
China has dismissed criticism of its COVID data and stated that it anticipates future mutations to be more transmissible but less severe.
The country’s quarantine obligation for overseas travelers ends on January 8. It is believed to be ineffective due to the enormous number of infections currently spreading in the country.
However, incoming travelers must still present a negative test result before leaving.
The Chinese government looked surprised by a rare wave of protests against the country’s COVID legislation, which led to a relaxing of the requirements.
Due to the relatively low percentage of old and vulnerable persons who are fully vaccinated, it is feared that the increase in cases could lead to a large number of deaths.
