The European Union has agreed to “strongly encourage” a requirement for all travellers coming from China to provide a negative Covid test.
In a statement from the Swedish Presidency of the EU Council, it was recommended that passengers wear a medical mask or FFP2/N95/KN95 respirators as cases in China surge.
Although the Covid test is not legally binding, the statement said: “Member states are strongly encouraged to introduce, for all passengers departing from China to Member States, the requirement for a negative COVID-19 test taken not more than 48 hours prior to departure.”
EU states have also been advised to conduct random testing on arrivals from China, regardless of nationality.
In response to the measures, China’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said: “We strongly oppose attempts to manipulate Covid measures for political purposes and will take countermeasures based on the principle of reciprocity.”
The new measures will be enforced from Monday onwards, and come as France, Spain and Italy imposed unilateral measures in response to the new wave of Covid cases in China.
The UK Government has announced that airlines will be required to check passengers from China have a negative Covid test before departure.
These measures will only apply to arrivals into England as there are no direct flights from China to Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland from Thursday.
Despite implementing a strict zero-Covid policy, cases have surged in China over recent weeks, with new pictures from a Beijing hospital showing patients left waiting in corridors.
Although cases have risen, China has reported just 22 Covid deaths since December.
Due to this, the World Health Organisation has warned that China is underrepresenting the number of people dying with Covid as the country experiences a huge surge in infections.
Dr Michael Ryan, the WHO’s emergencies director, said he believed that China’s definition of a Covid death was “too narrow”.
He claimed the figures “underrepresent the true impact of the disease in terms of hospital admissions, in terms of ICU admissions, and particularly in terms of death”.
