The United Kingdom is considering following suit of several other countries which imposed restrictions on travelers from China after it relaxed domestic COVID-19 controls, UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said on Thursday.
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th December, 2022) The United Kingdom is considering following suit of several other countries which imposed restrictions on travelers from China after it relaxed domestic COVID-19 controls, UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said on Thursday.
"Well, I think the government said it is now going to keep that under review and review whether different countries with COVID outbreaks should obviously face different restrictions. I think, as we speak, that is being reviewed and I will expect to see some clarification by the Department of Transport, probably today or tomorrow," Wallace said on British television.
Wallace's comment came after a UK government spokesman said there were no plans to impose mandatory COVID-19 tests on those arriving in the UK from China.
The US, India, Italy, Taiwan, South Korea, Malaysia and Japan have all mandated testing and other restrictions for travelers coming from China.
On Wednesday, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that starting January 5, all air passengers two years and older originating from China, Hong Kong or Macau, regardless of nationality and vaccination status, will be required to get a test no more than two days before their departure and show a negative test result to the airline upon departure. The US authority said the move was prompted by a surge in infections and a lack of adequate and transparent information from China, especially about strains circulating in the country.
Last week, China announced that it was abandoning its zero-tolerance policy for COVID-19 and preparing to reopen its borders in January. The end of nearly three years of strict measures in a country of 1.4 billion people is feared to potentially lead to a massive spread of the disease across the globe.
