US weighs new Covid rules for travellers from China

This article is more than 12 months old

Dec 28, 2022 09:59 am

WASHINGTON - The US government may impose new Covid-19 measures on travellers to the United States from China over concerns about the "lack of transparent data" coming from Beijing, US officials said on Tuesday.

The move comes after Japan, India and Malaysia announced stepped up rules on travellers from China in the last 24 hours, citing a rise in infections there.

Japan has said it would require a negative Covid-19 test upon arrival for travellers from the China. Malaysia put in place additional tracking and surveillance measures.

"There are mounting concerns in the international community on the ongoing Covid-19 surges in China and the lack of transparent data, including viral genomic sequence data, being reported from the PRC," the officials said, using the initials of the People's Republic of China.

Some hospitals and funeral homes in China have been overwhelmed as the virus spreads largely unchecked across the country of 1.4 billion people.

Official statistics, however, showed only one Covid death in the seven days to Monday, fuelling doubts among health experts and residents about the government's data. The numbers are inconsistent with the experience of much less populous countries after they re-opened.

Gerry Turner, 72, and Theresa Nist, 70, have announced they are getting divorced, just three months into their reality TV marriage.

Golden Bachelor reality TV love story to end in divorce

Apr 14, 2024

China said on Monday it would stop requiring inbound travellers to go into quarantine starting from Jan 8 in a major step towards easing curbs on its borders, which have been largely shut since 2020. - REUTERS