People are waiting in the arrivals area of Terminal 5 at Heathrow International Airport.
Carlos Barria | Reuters
LONDON – The UK’s Department for Transport said on Thursday there are currently no plans to reintroduce Covid-19 tests or additional requirements for travelers to the country.
It happens when some countries announce new measures in response to China’s easing of Covid restrictions amid an increase in suspected infections but a decrease in domestic testing. Beijing on Monday lifted the quarantine when the policy arrivedprompts many to book their first overseas trip in years.
Italy, the center of Europe’s first outbreak in early 2020, on Wednesday became the first country in the region to announce that all travelers arriving from China will be required to take anti- tie. On a December 26 flight from China to Milan’s Malpensa Airport, 52% of passengers tested positive for Covid, la Repubblica reported.
Italy’s National Institute of Infectious Diseases is also said to have called for increased testing of people arriving from China.
“It would be better if monitoring coordination takes place at the European level,” the institute said. as translated by Ansa news agency.
The United States said from January 5. All arrivals from mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau must provide a negative Covid test result taken within two days of departure.
India will require a negative test for passengers arriving from China, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Thailand, and passengers will be quarantined if they test positive or have symptoms of Covid. Reuters reports that Japan will carry out tests on arrival for passengers from mainland China.
The UK government is expected to monitor the situation until Thursday and may announce a policy change, especially if a wave of other European countries go back to testing.
Officials cited the lack of published information from China about the new variants as a reason to step up precautions.
Beijing says its latest outbreak is caused by a highly transmissible but less deadly variant of the omicron. But the lack of data and the country’s track record of confusing reality means many countries are taking a cautious approach.
