EU Health Committee Agree On Introducing COVID-19 Testing For Travelers From China

EU Health Committee Agree on Introducing COVID-19 Testing for Travelers From China

The EU Health Security Committee agreed on introducing COVID-19 testing for people traveling from China amid an outbreak of the disease in the country, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Stella Kyriakides said on Tuesday

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd January, 2023) The EU Health Security Committee agreed on introducing COVID-19 testing for people traveling from China amid an outbreak of the disease in the country, European Commissioner for Health and food Safety Stella Kyriakides said on Tuesday.

"Today EU Health Security Committee converged on action including: pre-departure testing for travellers from China; stepped up wastewater monitoring; increased domestic surveillance," Kyriakides said on Twitter.

Kyriakides added that discussions would continue on Wednesday in the Integrated Political Crisis Response.

In November, China saw a record increase in local COVID-19 outbreaks. Due to the deterioration of the epidemiological situation, the authorities introduced partial lockdowns in some areas while also forcing their residents to undergo PCR testing on a daily basis.

In December, 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.

The United Kingdom, France, and the United States are among the countries that have introduced COVID-19 testing requirements for Chinese travelers starting this January.