[ad_1]
The new coronavirus first appeared in central China late last year, but the country has largely managed its outbreak with strict travel restrictions and measures for all arrivals.
In March, when the virus spread around the world, China closed its borders to all foreigners.
Subsequently, Beijing gradually relaxed these restrictions so that those trapped abroad could return with special permits from the embassy, giving a negative response to the COVID-19 test. The returnees also had to self-quarantine for two weeks.
However, with the emergence of a new wave of pandemics in Europe, China severely toughens its rules again. The embassy in the United Kingdom announced that Beijing had “decided to temporarily suspend the entry of non-Chinese citizens into China.”
“This suspension is a temporary response to the current situation in COVID-19,” the embassy said in a statement Wednesday.
A similar ban on travelers was posted on the website of the Chinese embassy in Belgium “as a last resort in response to the current pandemic.”
China’s Foreign Ministry has yet to respond to AFP’s request for comment.
In the United Kingdom, one of the worst affected countries in the world, COVID-19 is linked to almost 48,000 deaths and more than a million cases of infection have been reported. A new global quarantine has been launched in the country to stop the spread of the virus.
Belgium, which has the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the world per capita, the quarantine is valid from last week.
There were no similar reports on the websites of Chinese embassies in other European countries on Thursday morning, and citizens of those countries with visas can travel to China under certain conditions.
Beijing has recently tightened the requirements for travelers from various countries, so reaching China is now much more difficult. Requirements include a health certificate issued by the local Chinese embassy stating the results of the nucleic acid test and the antibody test within 48 hours of travel.
The new rules apply to travelers from countries such as France, India, Singapore, Canada, Germany, Pakistan, South Africa and the United States.
There were complaints about the requirement of two tests and the short time required to complete them. The European Chamber of Commerce in China said the measures were “a de facto ban on anyone trying to return to their lives, jobs and families in China.”
[ad_2]
