Here’s where Covid rules for visitors from China are changing

BEIJING — Some countries have announced latest Covid testing requirements for visitors from China after the mainland announced it might eventually ease border controls.

Japan was the primary country to make changes to the regulations, followed by the United States and other countries. Covid-19 infections have skyrocketed this month in mainland China, but limited data is publicly available.

Here are a few of the latest policy changes for travelers from China:

Effective January 5, all airline passengers aged 2 years and over who’re from mainland China, Hong Kong or Macau might be required to present a negative Covid-19 test lead to the last two days upon departure to the US, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Wednesday .

The policy applies to people of all nationalities and vaccination status.

Testing has declined across China and it’s unclear what variants are circulating on the mainland as genomic surveillance data can also be limited, a federal health official told reporters.

In January, all travelers from mainland China using a direct flight or boat might be required to achieve this Covid-19 test upon arrival in Taiwan, the local Centers for Disease Control said on Wednesday.

Those who test positive may self-quarantine at home, the notice said.

Rules don’t apply to flights from Hong Kong and Macau.

All travelers coming from China to Italy might want to get one tested for Covid-19even when only in transit, the European country’s health minister said on Wednesday.

The minister said the country would also sequence the virus, but didn’t say what would occur to travelers who test positive.

As reported by Reuters, health authorities in regions near Milan and Rome said travelers who tested positive can have to self-quarantine in designated buildings.

Australia will not be imposing restrictions on visitors from China, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Thursday, in keeping with one official transcript of his interview from Australian Broadcasting Corp.

Albanese said Australia would monitor the situation in China and elsewhere, and take “appropriate advice” from health experts. “Our priority is to maintain Australians as protected as possible,” he said.

Omicron – more infectious but causing less severe disease – has develop into the dominant variant of Covid world wide over the past 12 months. Most of the world transitioned to a state of living with the virus months before China ended its many Covid controls this month.

From January 8, travelers arriving in mainland China will not should be quarantined upon arrival, Beijing announced on Monday. Visitors would still need to indicate a negative Covid-19 test lead to the last 48 hours.

The Chinese authorities have also announced that they may streamline the visa process for foreigners, while resuming the submission of passport applications by Chinese residents for foreign travel, including for tourist purposes. No exact time-frame was given.