Chinese embassies and consulates will not stamp health declaration forms. (Figurative)
Beijing:
China on Thursday defended a ban on non-Chinese arrivals from a growing list of countries as “reasonable and fair” as it protects against a resurgence of the coronavirus.
Covid-19 first emerged in central China late last year, but Beijing has largely controlled its outbreak through strict travel restrictions and strict health measures for anyone entering the country.
In March, when the virus spread around the world, China closed its borders to all foreign citizens.
It gradually eased restrictions to allow those stranded abroad to return with special permission from their embassies, negative tests for Covid-19, and a two-week quarantine upon arrival.
But in an abrupt turn, as the outbreak spreads once again across Europe, the Chinese embassy in the UK said on Wednesday that Beijing had decided to “temporarily suspend” entry from Britain for non-Chinese nationals.
Since then, embassies in Belgium, the Philippines, India, Ukraine and Bangladesh have posted similar notices.
China’s Foreign Ministry said Thursday that it was a “reasonable and fair” move to tackle the pandemic.
“China is building on the practices of many countries and is adjusting its handling of the entry of relevant people into China based on the changing situation of the pandemic,” said ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin.
Britain, one of the most affected countries in the world with almost 48,000 deaths linked to the virus and more than a million cases, has entered a new national lockdown to stop the spread of the contagion.
Meanwhile, Belgium, which has the highest number of Covid-19 cases per capita in the world, has been on lockdown since last week, while much of the Philippines was on lockdown again in October.
India surpassed eight million cases last week, second only to the United States, while Ukraine and Bangladesh have also been sources of imported cases in China in recent months.
Beijing has recently tightened the requirements for travelers from several other countries, making entry very difficult.
They include presentation of a health certificate from the local Chinese embassy showing the results of a nucleic acid test and an antibody test, within 48 hours of travel.
The new rules apply to travelers from countries such as France, Singapore, Canada, Germany, Pakistan, South Africa and the United States.
The strict two-test entry requirement and short time frame have sparked complaints.
The European Chamber of Commerce in China said the measures were “a de facto ban on anyone trying to return to their lives, work and families in China.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is posted from a syndicated channel.)
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