UK and France say no plans to place new restrictions on travelers from China
Abigail Adcox
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The United Kingdom and France said Thursday that they have no plans to require COVID-19 tests or place additional restrictions on travelers coming from China.
British officials said while they have no immediate plans to place travel restrictions, they will be monitoring the situation amid a surge in COVID-19 cases on the mainland and relaxed COVID-19 restrictions.
A growing number of countries have already announced new travel measures for passengers arriving from China, including the United States, Italy, Japan, India, and Taiwan.
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“I’ll expect to see some clarification, I think by the Department for Transport probably today or tomorrow,” said British Defence Minister Ben Wallace, according to Reuters. “We keep it under review. We look at the traffic and where people are coming from, into this country. And then no doubt the Department of Transport will make their views known.”
Meanwhile, Brigitte Autran, head of the French health risk assessment committee COVARS, told French Radio Classique that there is “no reason” to bring back border controls at the moment.
The European Union’s Health Security Committee called for member states to act jointly on any COVID-19 travel measures on Thursday but has yet to adopt any particular measures across the board as countries remain split on the issue.
“Coordination of national responses to serious cross border threats to health is crucial,” the committee said. “We need to act jointly & will continue our discussions.”
Italy, so far, is the only member state to have implemented travel restrictions, though it has urged other EU countries to follow its lead. Italian officials put in place mandatory COVID-19 tests for travelers arriving from China on Wednesday after 50% of travelers arriving in Milan on a Dec. 26 flight tested positive for COVID-19.
The U.S. will also require passengers 2 years and older coming from China to show a negative test taken within two days of their departure beginning Jan. 5, 2023.
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The new restrictions come amid a suspected surge in COVID-19 cases in China as it departs from its “zero-COVID” policies. On Monday, China announced it would lift all COVID-19 quarantine requirements for incoming arrivals, including visitors and Chinese nationals.
U.S. health officials have expressed concerns about a lack of adequate and transparent COVID-19 data from the Chinese government.