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The United States should require COVID-19 tests from air travelers from China

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Authorities announced Wednesday that the United States will begin reimposing mandatory COVID-19 tests for all air travelers from China.

From January 5, “all air passengers 2 years of age or older from China will be required to obtain a test at least two days before they leave China, Hong Kong and Macau, and show a negative test result to airlines upon departure,” a health official said. federal.

“The recent rapid increase in transmission of the Covid-19 virus in China raises the possibility that new variants will emerge,” the official told reporters in a telephone briefing.

However, the official said, Beijing provided only limited data on the circulation of variants in China to global databases, and testing and reporting of new cases also dwindled.

“Based on this lack of available data, it is difficult for US public health officials to identify new variants circulating in the United States,” the official said.

“The United States is taking proactive, deliberative steps to protect the public health of Americans, and is on alert for any potential variants of Covid-19,” the official said.

The new requirements will apply after midnight EST on January 5, or 0500 GMT.

The testing requirement applies to air travelers regardless of citizenship and vaccination status and includes people traveling to the United States from China via third countries, as well as those traveling through the United States to other countries.

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