The government of China has described as “discriminatory” and “unfounded” the restrictions antiCovid that several countries are going to apply to citizens arriving from the Asian giant before the next reopening of borders. This was reflected on Thursday by various Chinese state media, which charge against West and they talk about “sabotage” Y “another chance to smear us.”
The date marked on the calendar is January 8or, the day that the Chinese authorities will not require those passengers entering the country to quarantine, which is expected to also encourage many Chinese to travel abroad, after living almost three years in a strict lockdown.
But after the tsunami of infections In China, as a result of the withdrawal of most of the health regulations in December, many countries are looking at Beijing with caution and concern, which has led to the imposition of new protocols for Chinese citizens. state Joined, Italy, Japan, Korea of North either Indiaamong other countries, have decided to require a negative result in a Covid test. The latest to join that list has been Spainwhich has become the second country in the EU to announce this type of control.
[España exigirá test negativo o pauta completa de la vacuna a los viajeros procedentes de China]
“The real intention is sabotage the three years of efforts of control of Covid-19 from China and attack the country’s system,” the official newspaper said in an article The Global Timeswhich calls the restrictions “discriminatory.”
Also The European Center for Disease Control (ECDC) considers that the measures against China are “unjustified” because Europe has a wide level of immunization.
However, the World Health Organization (WHO) has agreed with those countries that will request negative coronavirus tests because “in the absence of more extensive information from China, it can be understood that countries act to protect their populations,” the director said this Friday. who General, tedros adhanom ghebreyesusin a comment on Twitter.
[Ayuso pide endurecer controles Covid por la ola de casos en China frente a la pasividad de Europa]
“It’s the same variant”
European countries, with the exceptions of Italy Y Spain, they do not yet see the need to apply controls. The reason? The Commission European remember that the prevailing variant in Chinathe omicron BF7, is already present in Europe and “has not grown significantly” in recent weeks.
Germany, France either Portugalin line with what was expressed by Brussels, support a “coordinated response at the European level”. “I know that in Spain and Italy these mandatory tests have been decreed,” German Health Minister Karl Lauerbach said this Friday. He believes that there is no reason to panic, although he points out that other variants cannot be ruled out: “And in order to detect them in time, we will closely monitor Europe’s airports.”
Other countries, like Austria, celebrate the reopening of Chinese borders because the arrival of Chinese tourists will translate into economic benefits. Global spending by Chinese visitors was over $250 billion a year before the pandemic.
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China responds to Spain, Italy and the US: anti-Covid controls on its citizens are “discriminatory”