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China has banned non-Chinese travelers from the UK, Belgium and the Philippines, imposing new border restrictions in response to the worsening Covid-19 pandemic.
China’s embassy in the UK said on Wednesday that China’s borders are now closed to those arriving from the UK, including those with valid visas and residence permits. The move, a reversal of recently relaxed restrictions, comes as England began a month-long lockdown in an effort to stem a resurgent outbreak. The country has the highest death toll in Europe at nearly 48,000 deaths.
“This is a temporary measure taken by China in response to the current pandemic,” the Chinese embassy in the UK said.
The embassy in Belgium also issued a statement announcing restrictions for citizens traveling from Belgium, which has the highest number of cases per capita in Europe. On Thursday, the embassy in the Philippines, which has one of the most cases in Southeast Asia, did the same.
The notices said the new restrictions would not affect people with diplomatic, official or courtesy visas, or crew members on international flights, trains or other vessels.
Beijing, which for months has largely contained the outbreak and seen the Chinese economy begin to rebound, has also imposed new rules on who can enter. As of Friday, November 6, all passengers from the US, Germany, the Czech Republic, and France must have tested negative for the Covid-19 virus as well as antibodies within 48 hours of travel. Danish passengers are subject to the rule as of November 7. As of November 8, those traveling from Australia, Singapore and Japan will be subject to the same rule.
Officials have said that the antibody test is to protect against false negatives in nucleic acid tests. A negative test for the antibody immunoglobulin M, or IgM, the body’s first response to the virus, would indicate that a person has never been exposed or has been infected and recovered.
Chinese residents have watched cautiously as the pandemic continues to spread in Europe and the United States. As the UK prepared for its new blockade, news about the number of private jet bookings circulated on Chinese social media with the hashtag “Rich Brits take private planes to escape second blockade” and attracted more than 60 million US dollars. visits.
“The whole European continent is in a mess. What’s the difference? “One user commented in response. Another said,” No place is clean. No escape possible. ” Another, commenting on the impending lockdown, said: “To put it bluntly, what they are doing is not shedding a tear until they see the coffin.”
• This article was modified on November 5, 2020. A previous version said that the presence of antibodies shows that a person has never been exposed to the virus or has been exposed but has recovered; this should have referred to the absence of antibodies or a negative test.
