Travelers check in at Shanghai’s Hongqiao International Airport in on Dec. 12, 2022, after China relaxed domestic travel restrictions.
Qilai Shen | Bloomberg | Getty Images
The Biden administration would require airline passengers traveling from China to check negative for Covid before entering the U.S., a federal health official said on Wednesday.
All travelers two years of age and older originating from China, Hong Kong or Macau will probably be required to get tested for Covid two days before their departure to the U.S., the health official said. The necessities, which apply no matter nationality and vaccination status, starting Jan. 5.
The testing requirements come as China battles a serious outbreak of the virus after easing its stringent zero-Covid policy within the wake of social unrest earlier this yr.
The U.S. has limited information on the situation in China, the official said. Testing has decreased across the country and it’s unclear what variants are circulating in China because genomic surveillance data can also be limited, the official said.
“The recent rapid increase in transmission in China increases the potential for brand spanking new variants emerging,” the official said.
