EU to Discuss Joint Quarantine Measures on the 4th
Explosive Growth in Travel Demand Within China
[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Kim Hyunjung] Countries that had been sending welcoming invitations to China are increasingly joining the movement to strengthen quarantine measures for arrivals from China. This is interpreted as considering the voices of their citizens concerned about the influx of confirmed cases and the emergence of variant viruses, as well as the political and diplomatic trends and judgments of major countries.
According to major foreign media including Bloomberg on the 1st (local time), several countries such as France, Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom recently announced that they will mandate COVID-19 testing or conduct random testing for travelers arriving from China. The media reported, "Amid a lack of data on COVID-19 infections in China and concerns about the spread of new variant viruses, several countries are imposing stronger COVID-19 related measures on travelers from China."
Australian health authorities announced that from the 5th, all air travelers departing from mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau must present a negative COVID-19 test result conducted within 48 hours before departure. Canadian and UK authorities also announced that similar measures, first implemented on December 30 last year, will be enforced from the 5th of this month. The UK plans to conduct post-arrival testing on up to 20% of passengers arriving from China to track COVID-19 variants.
France is also conducting random polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests on passengers arriving from China at Paris Charles de Gaulle International Airport and plans to analyze DNA as well. France, which once showed a friendly response to China's reopening by saying, "We warmly welcome our Chinese friends," has now advised its citizens to "postpone travel to China as much as possible." In addition, Italy and Spain have also decided to mandate COVID-19 testing, while Germany stated that routine testing is unnecessary but plans to discuss a system for monitoring variant viruses at airports.
After the United States and Japan strengthened quarantine measures for arrivals from China, the European Union (EU), which had sided with China calling the measures "unfair," has also begun reconsideration. Sweden, the rotating chair of the EU, issued a statement on the 31st of last month that it will discuss joint quarantine measures for arrivals from China on the 4th. Sweden added, "We will take necessary measures promptly."
Travel demand within China is already explosively increasing domestically. Flights to major tourist destinations are fully booked, and hotel rooms are frequently at full capacity. According to local news portals such as Zhongguo Wang (中國網), during the New Year period (December 31, 2022 to January 2, 2023), three airports in Hainan, China, operated more than 2,300 flights, with passenger movements expected to reach 320,000. Local media reported that tourist destinations that were desolate just a few days ago due to lack of visitors are now facing difficulties due to no available rooms, vehicles, or boats.
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