The United States is considering entry measures for passengers traveling from China in the wake of a new outbreak of Covid-19 in the Asian nation that has caused hospitals and crematoriums to overflow there. US officials cited concerns expressed by the World Health Organization (WHO), as well as steps taken by India, Japan and Malaysia to consider stricter rules for international travelers from China.
Officials said the United States is following “science and the advice of public health experts, consulting with partners and considering taking similar steps” to protect Americans, AFP reported Wednesday.
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Malaysia has activated additional monitoring and surveillance measures in view of the new spike in infection in China, while India and Japan have made a negative Covid-19 test report mandatory for passengers coming from their neighboring country. India has also started a random sample of 2 per cent of international passengers to keep any spike in Covid-19 cases in the nation in check. In Japan, foreign travelers who test positive have to quarantine for a week.
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The concerns shown by the countries come at a time when China is preparing to reopen its borders on January 8. The country has already lifted several measures of its strict ‘Covid Zero’ policy and is quickly dismantling the rest, even as uncertainty looms over the official. case figures. The National Health Commission stopped reporting asymptomatic infections and stopped publishing daily infection data entirely on Sunday. However, the China CDC continues to publish them. This has made it difficult to understand the real state of the Covid-19 situation in the country.
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Last week, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he is concerned about the evolving Covid-19 scenario in China and the rising number of cases. “To conduct a comprehensive risk assessment of the situation on the ground, WHO needs more detailed information on disease severity, hospital admissions and ICU support requirements,” he said, quoted by Reuters.
The BF.7 variant has been reported to be the main driver of the latest Covid-19 outbreak in China. It is not a new variant but a sub-lineage of the Omicron BA.5.
(With contributions from Bloomberg)
