As the number of infections soars in China and Beijing recognizes that it is “impossible” to follow the evolution of the virus, the United States is considering imposing restrictions on travelers from this country.
By AFP
Lhe United States is considering imposing entry restrictions on travelers from China, where authorities have abruptly relaxed their measures to fight Covid-19, American officials said on Tuesday.
Infections soared across China as key pillars of the country’s “zero Covid” policy practiced since early 2020 were dismantled within weeks, prompting US officials to worry about the risk of emergence of new virus variants.
“The international community is increasingly concerned about the current outbreaks of Covid-19 in China and the lack of transparent data, including viral genomic sequence data, reported by the PRC,” the US officials said, under anonymous, in reference to the People’s Republic of China.
Faced with covid, China is in full football panic
Beijing has acknowledged that it is “impossible” to follow the evolution of the epidemic and has even stopped publishing daily data on the health situation since Sunday. The official figures were increasingly criticized as their underestimation of cases of infection and deaths had become flagrant.
But it’s the lack of genomic data that is causing the most concern overseas, making it “increasingly difficult for public health officials to ensure they’ll be able to identify any new varying potential and to take prompt action to reduce the spread,” U.S. officials said.
“Protecting the American People”
The United States is “following scientific evidence and the advice of public health experts, consulting with partners, and considering taking similar actions … to protect the American people,” they added, citing concerns expressed by the World Health Organization (WHO) as well as measures adopted by Japan, India and Malaysia.
Japan will thus restore from Friday the mandatory PCR tests for travelers from mainland China.
China’s easing of anti-Covid measures puts an end to the mass testing, lockdowns and long quarantines that have upended supply chains and disrupted trade relations with the rest of the world.
China’s Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that countries should maintain “scientific and appropriate” disease controls that “should not affect normal exchanges of people.”
