Residents line up for COVID-19 testing in Beijing on Dec. 6. Germany on Saturday advised against travel to China amid a surge of infections. File Photo by Wu Hao/EPA-EFE
Jan. 7 (UPI) — Germany on Saturday added China to a new category of COVID-19 risk areas, becoming the latest country to advise against travel to the country.
Germany’s disease control agency Robert Koch Institute labeled China as a “threatening virus variant area,” due to the peak level of COVID-19 infections and the overburdened healthcare system in the country.
According to the new measures, stricter entry regulations for travelers from China, including antigen or PCR tests, will take effect in Germany on Monday.
Portugal also announced that it will require a negative COVID-19 test for passengers from China beginning on Sunday. Thailand, too, will also reintroduce entry requirements for foreigners arriving by air.
The heightened concern over China comes as the country battles a surge in cases following the dismantling of its strict zero-COVID restrictions in recent weeks.
At the same time, the emergence of a highly transmissible variant — already on track to become the dominant strain in the United States — is fanning concerns over new mutations.
China has yet to report any domestic cases of the new variant, XBB 1.5, that’s been found in at least 28 other nations.
In Europe, countries including Belgium, Sweden and Britain, have announced new requirements on travelers from China.
The European Union on Wednesday “strongly encouraged” member nations to adopt pre-departure COVID-19 testing, recommended masking on flights and urged wastewater checks.