US to revise travel rules for China due to ‘lack of transparent data’: report

Los Angeles:

The U.S. government may impose new COVID-19 measures on travelers to the United States from China due to concerns over a “lack of transparent data” from Beijing, U.S. officials said on Tuesday.

The move comes after Japan, India and Malaysia announced tougher rules on travelers from China in the past 24 hours, citing rising infections there.

Japan has said it will require a negative COVID-19 test on arrival for travelers from China. Malaysia has put in place additional monitoring and surveillance measures.

“The international community is increasingly concerned about the ongoing COVID-19 outbreaks in China and the lack of transparent data, including viral genomic sequence data, reported by the PRC,” the officials said, using the initials of the People’s Republic of China. China.

Some hospitals and funeral homes in China have been overwhelmed as the virus spreads largely unchecked across the country of 1.4 billion people.

Official statistics, however, showed just one Covid death in the seven days to Monday, stoking doubts among health experts and residents about government data. The numbers do not match the experience of countries with far fewer populations after reopening.

China said on Monday it would stop requiring incoming travelers to self-quarantine from January 8, a major step towards easing restrictions at its borders, which have been largely closed since 2020.

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