In an about turn the Government has said that it will keep under review COVID restrictions on visitors from China
Ben Wallace, the Defence Secretary, said: “The Govt has said it is now going to keep that under review and review whether different countries with Covid outbreaks etc should face different restrictions.”
The move follows other countries now imposing restrictions following the lifting of travel bans in China and the removal of zero Covid restrictions in the country
Italy became the first European country to require Chinese visitors to have a negative test and the United States will follow from the 5th January
Japan, India and Taiwan are also introducing pre or post-arrival tests on passengers from China.
Earlier today the Former health minister Lord Bethell told the BBC that the UK should be looking seriously at bringing it Covid testing for arrivals from China
Hospitals in China are being overwhelmed with patients after the government abruptly reversed its stringent “zero Covid” measures.
Chinese health officials have said the current outbreak is being driven by versions of the omicron variant that have also been detected elsewhere, and a surveillance system has been set up to identify any potentially worrisome new versions of the virus.
