Australia and Canada are the latest countries to bring in travel restrictions on arrivals from China.
Travellers from China to Australia will need to present a negative COVID-19 test result from 5 January, the country’s health minister Mark Butler said.
The test will have to be taken within 48 hours of the departing flight and the rules will also apply to visitors from Hong Kong and Macau.
Mr Butler said: “I want to stress that the government welcomes the resumption of travel between Australia and China… I also want to stress that this is a temporary measure, reflecting the lack of comprehensive information right now about the situation in China.”
Earlier in the day, Canada announced it would bring in a similar rule – all travellers from China, Hong Kong or Macau over the age of two will need to show a negative result from a test taken within two days of departure.
The Canadian government said its measure would be in place for 30 days and would be re-assessed as more data became available.
The two countries join a number of others – including the UK, US, India, Spain, South Korea and France – that have brought in restrictions targeting arrivals from China.
Travellers arriving in England from China will need negative COVID test
Travellers arriving in England from China will need to show negative COVID test
Spain becomes second European country to announce COVID restrictions for travellers from China
The concern stems from China’s reopening following three years of a strict COVID-zero policy that kept borders closed and locals locked down.
But the government, under pressure from growing protests against the measures, reversed its policy with a move towards learning to live with the virus.
Other countries, however, have said that China’s COVID-19 data is not transparent, and a lack of information about variants is putting the world at risk of a massive wave of reinfections.
China has denied this, adding that it expects new variants to be more infectious but less severe.
It will continue requiring a negative PCR test before departure for arrivals into its own country, but has said it will stop requiring infected arrivals to go into quarantine from 8 January.
A number of countries have announced restrictions on travellers from China in recent days.
UK: From 5 January, a pre-departure negative COVID-19 test is required for passengers from China.
US: From 5 January travellers from China will need to show a negative result from a test taken no more than two days before departure from China, Hong Kong, or Macau.
FRANCE: France will also require a negative COVID-19 test less than 48 hours before departure and, from January random PCR tests will be carried out on arrivals from China.
AUSTRALIA: Travellers from China to Australia will need to submit a negative COVID-19 test from 5 January.
INDIA: India will require a negative test result for arrivals from China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and Thailand. Passengers from those countries will be quarantined if they show symptoms or test positive.
JAPAN: Japan now requires a negative COVID-19 test on arrival for travellers from mainland China. Those who test positive will have to quarantine for seven days. The government will also limit requests from airlines to increase flights to China.
ITALY: Milan’s main airport, Malpensa, has already started testing passengers arriving from Beijing and Shanghai.
SOUTH KOREA: South Korea will require travellers from China to provide negative COVID test results before departure.
MOROCCO: From 3 January, Morocco is banning arrivals from China, regardless of nationality.
SPAIN: Spain will require a negative COVID-19 test or a full course of vaccination against the disease upon arrival for travellers from China.
MALAYSIA: Malaysia will screen all inbound travellers for fever and test wastewater from aircraft arriving from China for COVID-19.
TAIWAN: All passengers on direct flights from China, as well as by boat at two offshore islands, now have to take PCR tests upon arrival.
CANADA: Air travellers to Canada from China must test negative for COVID-19 no more than two days before departure.
