US may impose new COVID guidelines for Chinese travellers
According to U.S. authorities, the U.S. administration is considering imposing new limitations on passengers arriving in the U.S. from China because of COVID increases in China and
a lack of transparency from the Chinese government.The officials, who asked for anonymity, said in a written statement that "there are growing worries in the international
community on the continued COVID-19 surges in China and the absence of transparent data, particularly viral genomic sequence data, being provided from the PRC." Without this
information, it is getting more and harder for public health professionals to make sure they can spot any potential new varieties and act quickly to stop the spread.The authorities
stated that public health professionals in the United States have been discussing "their worries about this and potential procedures that can be taken to monitor the increase of
COVID cases efficiently and detect any potential variants of concern" with partners around the globe.The officials said that additional organisations expressing concern include the
World Health Organization, Japan, India, and Malaysia. Malaysia "has announced enhanced tracking and surveillance measures," the officials added, and Japan recently declared it
will demand a negative COVID test for visitors from China upon arrival.The officials stated that "the U.S. is following the evidence and recommendations of public
health professionals, talking with partners and contemplating adopting similar steps we may take to protect the American people."