China’s “Zero COVID” policy is over. Gone. Kaput. Vanished into history as the people of the far east superpower refused to allow themselves to be suppressed in such an abhorrent way.
So, now, the masses of China have been gathering again, almost like an enormous Petri dish upon which the coronavirus can feast. This is leading many global health experts to start raising the alarm.
Beijing’s sudden pivot away from containing Covid-19 has caused jitters around the world, with the United States saying it will require negative Covid tests for travellers from China following its decision to end mandatory quarantine for overseas arrivals.
China late Monday scrapped quarantine for inbound travellers from January 8 onwards, dismantling the last remaining piece of its stringent zero-Covid policy and ending some of the world’s harshest border restrictions.
The move was greeted with jubilation by Chinese citizens, who rushed to book international flights, triggering a surge in ticket prices.
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Hospitals and crematoriums across China continue to be overwhelmed by an influx of mostly elderly people.
The concern was widespread.
Medical staff are “pretty much all” expected to continue working despite testing positive for the virus, one doctor said.
Other countries have expressed concerns about the potential for new variants to emerge as China battles the world’s biggest surge in infections.
The United States will require negative Covid tests from all air travelers from China, saying Beijing is not sharing enough information about the surge in coronavirus cases there, health officials said Wednesday.
From January 5, “all air passengers two years and older originating from China will be required to get a test no more than two days before their departure from China, Hong Kong and Macau, and show a negative test result to the airlines upon departure,” a federal health official said.
Countries including Japan, India and Italy have introduced PCR testing on arrival for Chinese passengers.
There is little doubt that China’s previous mishandling of the coronavirus crisis is having an effect on the global community’s uneasiness.
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