Following Italy and Spain, France and the United Kingdom also announced on the 30th (local time) that they will implement a stronger Corona 19 quarantine for travelers arriving from China, where Corona 19 infections are increasing rapidly .
The French government has required all arrivals from China to present proof of negative COVID-19 diagnostic tests and has urged French citizens to avoid unnecessary travel to China. France has once again demanded that masks be worn on flights from China to France.
Along with this, France plans to conduct random PCR tests at airports for passengers arriving from China to confirm the mutant virus. The new rules will come into force on the 1st, but it will take several days to be fully implemented, officials say.
The British government has also said that people entering the UK on direct flights from China will have to undergo a diagnostic test before departure from January 5.
UK Health Secretary Steve Barclay said the UK was taking a “balanced and precautionary approach”, saying officials were assessing coronavirus statistics and the measures were “temporary”.
Meanwhile, France and Spain said they would continue to follow a common policy across Europe.
Earlier, Spain also announced on the 29th that it would require all air travelers coming from China to prove that they have tested negative for Corona 19 or a vaccination certificate.
The Minister of Health, Carolina Darias, said that Spain would take steps similar to those being taken at European level in light of the surge in infections in China. He added that controls related to COVID-19 would be tightened at Spanish airports.
However, Darias did not specify when the new measures would come into force.
Before Spain, Italy announced that travelers leaving China would require COVID-19 tests. Health officials from the 27 member states of the European Union (EU) promised to continue talks to seek a common approach on the 28th, but did not set any restrictions.
“There is a common concern internationally and nationally about the difficulty of accurately assessing the COVID-19 situation in light of increasing infections in China and the lack of information available,” said Darias.
Darias also said that as China plans to lift travel restrictions from January 8, the number of Chinese traveling abroad will increase significantly. He added that it was important to act quickly, saying the main concern was the emergence of a new strain of COVID-19.
On the 28th, the United States announced new Corona 19 test requirements for travelers from China, joining some Asian countries. Japan began requiring inspections for travelers arriving from China on the 30th.
[파리=AP/뉴시스]
