US to impose mandatory Covid-19 tests on travelers from China

The United States will impose mandatory Covid-19 tests on travelers from China, US health authorities announced Wednesday, adding to India, Italia, Japan y taiwan in taking action following Beijing’s decision to lift strict zero-Covid policies.

The officials told the press that, from january 5all air passengers over the age of two must have a negative test performed no more than two days before departure from China, Hong Kong o Macao.

Passengers who test positive more than 10 days before a flight can present recovery documentation in lieu of the negative result, federal officials said.

In an abrupt change of policy, China this month began to dismantle andThe strictest Covid regime in the worldof lockdowns and mass testing, putting its battered economy on track for a full reopening next year.

The lifting of the restrictions, following widespread protests against them, means that Covid is spreading largely unchecked and is likely to infect millions of people a day, according to some international health experts.

Beijing has faced international criticism that its official data on Covid and its death count are not consistent with the scale of the outbreak.

Some global health experts have claimed that the virus could infect up to a million people a day, and international modeling groups have predicted that China could experience 2 million deaths or more.