Australia Introduced COVID-19 Testing for Arrivals from China.
The Australian Government has introduced pre-departure testing for COVID-19 for people travelling to Australia from the People’s Republic of China including the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau.
From 12:01am on Thursday 5 January 2023, travellers will be required to undertake a COVID-19 test within the 48hrs prior to travel and show evidence of a negative test result when travelling to Australia.
This small but sensible move will help to protect people who are at risk of severe illness and safeguard our healthcare system.
Australia now joins other countries across the world in implementing similar measures.
ITALY
On 29 December 2022, Italy ordered COVID-19 antigen swabs and virus sequencing for all travellers coming from China.
Milan’s main airport, Malpensa, had already started testing passengers arriving from Beijing and Shanghai on 26 Dec 2022, and the results showed almost one in two passengers were infected.
On the first flight, 35 out of 92 passengers tested positive for the virus, while on the second flight, 62 passengers out of 120 were infected, according to Lombardy region’s health chief Guido Bertolaso. www.bloomberg.com
Italy, which was the first nation in Europe to be hit hard by the virus in February 2020 after it emerged in China, is now the first in Europe to impose mandatory tests on people arriving from China, were the new wave of COVID-19 is spreading rapidly.
www.reuters.com
UNITED STATES
The United States imposed mandatory COVID-19 tests on travellers from China beginning 5 January 2022. All air passengers aged two and older will require a negative result from a test no more than two days before departure from China, Hong Kong or Macau.
CZECH REPUBLIC
From Jan. 16, the Czech Republic will require travellers from China to show a negative coronavirus test taken up to 48 hours prior to boarding flights.
GREECE
Air travellers to Greece from China must show they have tested negative for COVID-19 48 hours before arrival.
SWEDEN
Sweden will require travellers from China to show they have tested negative for COVID before they can enter the country.
BRITAIN
The UK will require a pre-departure negative COVID-19 test for passengers from China as of 5 Jan 2023.
FRANCE
France will require travellers from China to provide a negative COVID test result less than 48 hours before departure.
CANADA
Air travellers to Canada from China must test negative for COVID-19 no more than two days before departure.
JAPAN
The country will require negative coronavirus test results within 72 hours of passengers boarding direct flights from China.
SPAIN
Spain will require a negative COVID-19 test or a full course of vaccination against the disease upon arrival for travellers from China.
MALAYSIA
Malaysia will screen all inbound travellers for fever and test wastewater from aircraft arriving from China for COVID-19.
TAIWAN
Taiwan’s Central Epidemic Command Centre this month began requiring all passengers coming from China to take PCR tests upon arrival.
SOUTH KOREA
South Korea will require travellers from China, Macau and Hong Kong to provide negative COVID test results before departure.
MOROCCO
Morocco will impose a ban on people arriving from China, whatever their nationality, from 3 Jan 2023.
QATAR
Qatar will require travellers arriving from China from 3 Jan 2023 to provide a negative COVID-19 test result taken within 48 hours of departure.
NETHERLANDS
The Netherlands will require travellers from China to show proof of a recent negative COVID-19 test before they can enter the country.
PORTUGAL
Portugal will require air travellers from China to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test done no more than two days before departure.