The Biden administration is considering imposing new COVID-19 restrictions for people traveling from China after the country’s government announced it would reopen its borders to international travelers for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic.
U.S. officials are looking at implementing similar testing requirements to the ones Japan has placed on travelers from China, citing concerns over COVID-19 reporting data released by the Chinese government amid a surge in cases on the mainland.
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“There are mounting concerns in the international community on the ongoing COVID-19 surges in China and the lack of transparent data, including viral genomic sequence data, being reported from the PRC,” according to a statement by officials that was obtained by CNBC.
On Tuesday, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced that the country would require a negative COVID-19 test for travelers arriving from China starting Dec. 30. Taiwan will also require COVID-19 tests for travelers coming on direct flights from China and some on boats, per a notice from the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control.
It comes on the heels of China announcing Monday it would lift all COVID-19 quarantine requirements for incoming arrivals, including visitors and Chinese nationals. China has been relaxing its “zero COVID” policies over the past few weeks that had instituted mass testing campaigns and forced millions into strict lockdowns since the onset of the pandemic.
COVID-19 cases have risen in China in recent weeks, coinciding with the country’s sudden departure from the policies, although Chinese health officials have stopped publishing daily COVID-19 data.
The leader of the World Health Organization has expressed concerns about the uncertainty surrounding the Chinese government’s COVID-19 data.
“WHO is very concerned over the evolving situation in China with increasing reports of severe disease. In order to make a comprehensive risk assessment of the situation on the ground, WHO needs more detailed information on disease severity, hospital admissions, and requirements for ICU support,” said World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a press conference last week.
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The lack of transparency has amplified worries about how China’s COVID-19 surge might affect other countries as its borders reopen.
COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths have already increased in recent weeks in America, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
