US imposes Covid-19 testing requirement on travellers arriving from China

Passengers arriving in the US from China will have to show a negative Covid test no more than two days before flying

The United States will require travellers arriving from China to show a negative Covid-19 test result from 5 January, federal health officials announced on Wednesday.

Passengers flying to the US from China, Hong Kong and Macau will need to get a test no more than two days before flying and present the results to their airline before boarding.

The announcement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) comes after Beijing’s easing of its “zero Covid” policy led to rapid rise in infections.

The new requirement follows similar moves from Italy, Japan, India and Taiwan.

The rule will apply to all passengers over the age of two, the CDC said. Both PCP and and antigen tests performed or monitored by a doctor will be accepted.

It also applies to travellers arriving from third country transit stopovers such as Vancouver, Seoul and Toronto.

Officials in Italy announced that more than half of passengers arriving in Milan on two flights from China had tested positive for Covid on Wednesday. 

The CDC said it was imposing the new requirement due to the “lack of adequate and transparent” data released by Chinese authorities.

Covid-19 patients on gurneys at Tianjin First Center Hospital in Tianjin on December 28, 2022. (AFP via Getty Images)

“There are mounting concerns in the international community on the ongoing COVID-19 surges in China and the lack of transparent data,” US officials told CNBC in a statement. “Without this data, it is becoming increasingly difficult for public health officials to ensure that they will be able to identify any potential new variants and take prompt measures to reduce the spread.”

China began relaxing its strict coronavirus policies earlier this month after a massive public outcry led to widespread social unrest.

Since then, there has been an explosion in cases, with local officials reporting hundreds of thousands of new cases in recent days, according to The New York Times.

After pursuing a “zero Covid” policy for the past three years, Beijing also announced it would scrap quarantine requirements for travellers arriving in the countryafrom 8 January.

The Lunar New Year, which begins on 22 January, is traditionally China’s busiest travel season.

The Biden Administration lifted the last of its Covid-19 travel mandates in June.