The UK government is expected to announce that people arriving from China will require a negative Covid test prior to travel, amid concerns that the lifting of restrictions has resulted in a wave of infections

Following the end of Beijing’s zero-Covid policy, Spain, the United States, Italy, India, Taiwan, South Korea, Malaysia, and Japan announced new screening measures. In the United Kingdom, health minister Will Quince has stated that the “key threat” is the emergence of new variants. Spain has announced Covid checks on Chinese passengers. Beginning January 5, all passengers from China, Hong Kong, or Macao entering the United States will be required to take a Covid-19 test no more than two days prior to travel and provide a negative test result before boarding their flight. The testing is open to anyone over the age of two, including US citizens. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States based its decision on a recent surge in infections in China and what it described as a lack of adequate and transparent information from Beijing, including genomic sequencing on viral strains circulating in the country.