U.S. to loosen COVID restrictions for travelers coming from China: reports

COVID-19 travel restrictions between China and the US could be loosened by the end of the week, according to reports, as virus cases in the communist country continue to decline.

The Washington Post reported that a trio of officials who spoke to the newspaper on the condition of anonymity said that health and national security officials agreed this week to relax testing requirements.

A man’s swab sample is taken for nucleic acid testing for the coronavirus disease at a testing booth in Beijing, China, on November 11, 2022. (Reuters/Tsingshu Wang)

The decision was said to be more about health than foreign policy. It comes even as other countries with similar coronavirus restrictions are easing rules.

Biden Administration Announces New COVID Screening Requirement for Travelers Arriving from China

In late December, the Biden administration announced a new COVID-19 testing policy for travelers arriving from China, just as the communist government rolled back its strict COVID policies.

The new order from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in the US, which took effect on January 5, allows any traveler over the age of 2, directly or indirectly, as well as from Hong Kong and Macau, to receive a negative COVID Needed to come from China. -19 test not more than two days before going to America

Passengers wearing face masks pass through a security check before entering an international departure gate at Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, Thursday, Dec. 29, 2022. Moves by the US, Japan and others to mandate COVID-19 tests for travelers arriving in China reflect global concern that new variants could emerge in its ongoing explosive outbreak — and the government’s need to inform the rest of the world quickly enough. Can’t do it. ((AP Photo/Andy Wong))

The CDC said at the time of the announcement that new restrictions were being put in place to slow the spread of COVID-19 in the US due to a surge in China and reported “a lack of adequate and transparent epidemiological and viral genomic sequence data”. going. “

Japan eases coronavirus measures for tourists arriving from China by only testing random travelers

When China rolled back its “zero COVID” policies, federal health officials told reporters, there was a significant increase in cases.

A week after the policy came into force, Chinese officials acknowledged that the COVID-19 death toll was rising, updating the prior official death toll of 47 to nearly 60,000.

Last week, Japan eased its coronavirus border measures for tourists from China in order to test random travelers.

Since December, Japan had been testing all travelers arriving from China at four designated airports based on rising infections in the country and a lack of information.

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White House officials did not immediately respond to inquiries about the policy change.

The Post said US officials confirmed their reassurances from the deaths and signs of infection over the past few weeks.

Adam Shaw of Fox News contributed to this report.