China orders COVID-19 tests for travel with some border towns

Passengers carrying confront masks get off a teach at Suifenhe railway station, a city of Heilongjiang province on the border with Russia, as the distribute of the novel coronavirus disorder (COVID-19) carries on in the place, China April 11, 2020. REUTERS/Huizhong Wu

BEIJING, Dec 11 (Reuters) – China has requested some border metropolitan areas to beef up vigilance against COVID-19 with steps this sort of as required testing for travellers, in its effort to reduce clusters brought on by viruses arriving from overseas.

Considering the fact that mid-October, locally-transmitted symptomatic conditions have risen to additional than 2,000, with several smaller northern cities on the borders with Russia or Mongolia, among the the toughest-strike, as well being assets there are sparser than in key towns.

“There have been multiple community outbreaks in China not long ago, all caused by viruses imported from overseas through cities with ports of entry,” the govt reported in a detect, citing regional areas’ weaknesses in checking and failure to enforce steps.

Men and women who intend to depart from border metropolitan areas with overland ports of entry should exhibit evidence of detrimental examination benefits within 48 hours in advance of departure, stated the notice, which excluded those from towns with ports of entry joined to Hong Kong or Macau.

Arrivals in this kind of metropolitan areas should just take at minimum one particular COVID-19 test, added the detect by nationwide authorities in demand of COVID-19 control.

The tests measures will run until finally March 15 next yr.

In November, authorities in Beijing urged individuals not to journey unnecessarily to the Chinese capital from counties with overland ports of entry.

Some towns with entry ports could have restricted curbs in “buffer” regions, but fewer tricky steps outside, Saturday’s recognize claimed.

The actions purpose to decrease disruption to livelihoods in locations dependent on cross-border trade, the nationwide health authority said in a statement posted alongside the recognize.

Reporting by Roxanne Liu and Ryan Woo Modifying by Clarence Fernandez

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