Countries implement COVID travel requirements for Chinese travelers amid transparency concerns

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Countries around the world are taking action to implement COVID-19 mitigation directives for travelers from China as cases surge there in the latest outbreak. 

Japan, India, South Korea, Taiwan, Italy and the U.S. have announced testing requirements for arriving passengers. 

The U.S. has cited the increase in infections and what is said was a lack of transparency from the Chinese government, including genomic sequencing of the virus strains in the country.

"These data are critical to monitor the case surge effectively and decrease the chance for entry of a novel variant of concern," the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

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Masked travelers with luggage line up at the international flight check in counter at the Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, Thursday, Dec. 29, 2022. Moves by the U.S., Japan and others to mandate COVID-19 tests for passengers arriving from China reflect global concern that new variants could emerge in its ongoing explosive outbreak — and the government may not inform the rest of the world quickly enough.  ((AP Photo/Andy Wong))

That will begin on Jan. 5 and apply to travelers regardless of their nationality and vaccination status.

Authorities in Taiwan and Japan have voiced similar concerns. 

"Right now the pandemic situation in China is not transparent," Wang Pi-Sheng, the head of Taiwan’s epidemic command center, told The Associated Press. "We have a very limited grasp on its information, and it’s not very accurate."

On the island, testing for that group will begin on Jan. 1.

In Japan, regulations that restrict flights from mainland China, Hong Kong and Macao to designated airports begin on Friday and have reportedly disrupted holiday travel plans.

Passengers wearing face masks line up for security check before entering an international departure gate at the Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, Thursday, Dec. 29, 2022.  ((AP Photo/Andy Wong))

German Health Ministry spokesperson Sebastian Guelde said officials there have "no indication that a more dangerous variant has developed in this outbreak in China," but that they are monitoring the situation, and the European Union is also assessing the situation.

The bloc's executive branch noted that a prevalent variant in China is already active in Europe.

Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni said that requiring tests of all passengers from China is "only effective if it is taken at the European level,’’ noting that many arrive in her country via flights from other European countries.

Masked travelers check their passports as they line up at the international flight check in counter at the Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, Thursday, Dec. 29, 2022.  ((AP Photo/Andy Wong))

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The EU's health security committee said in a statement after its meeting that "we need to act jointly and will continue our discussions."

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the body needs more information on the severity of the outbreak in China "in order to make a comprehensive risk assessment of the situation on the ground."

There have been no reports of new variants to date. 

Masked travelers use their smartphones to fill in their health declaration after checking in at the international flight check in counter at the Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, Thursday, Dec. 29, 2022.  ((AP Photo/Andy Wong))

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said Thursday that many countries have not changed their policies for travelers from China and said that any measures should treat people from all countries equally.

Chinese health officials have said the current outbreak is being driven by omicron subvariants that have also been detected elsewhere and that a surveillance system has been set up to identify any potentially worrisome new versions of the virus. 

"We keep nothing secret," Wu Zunyou, the chief epidemiologist at China’s Center for Disease Control, said Thursday. "All work is shared with the world."

Wu Zunyou, the chief epidemiologist at China's Center for Disease Control, speaks during a press conference in Beijing, Thursday, Dec. 29, 2022. Chinese health officials have said the current outbreak is being driven by versions of the omicron variant that have also been detected elsewhere, and a surveillance system has been set up to identify any potentially worrisome new versions of the virus. Wu, said Thursday that China has always reported the virus strains it has found in a timely way.  ((AP Photo/Ng Han Guan))

Chinese state media has not reported the fallout from the surge widely and the Associated Press found that the government did not release genetic information about the virus for more than a week after decoding it.

China rolled back many pandemic restrictions earlier this month. 

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On Tuesday, the government there said it would resume issuing passports for tourism.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.