US To Drop COVID-19 Testing For Passengers On Flights From China

The United States is all set to lift mandatory COVID testing for travelers from China. Latest reports confirm that the US will join other countries to lift the ban after a fall in COVID cases in China over the last few weeks.

CDC to end COVID testing for China

Reuters reports that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed that it plans to scrap the requirement for travelers from China to undergo mandatory COVID testing to enter the country.

The US had brought back testing for travelers from China in January after a fresh wave of COVID swept through the country. Since then, cases have dropped enough for countries worldwide, and now the US, to scrap testing requirements for passengers originating from China. The CDC released a statement on Wednesday that said,

“…public health measure was put in place to protect U.S. citizens and communities as we worked to both identify the size of the (China COVID) surge and gain better insights into the variants that were circulating.”

Photo: Airbus

It added that while the testing will discontinue, it will continue to monitor cases in China as well as globally. The CDC will also continue the genomic sequencing program at a few airports, which involves monitoring flights from China and regional transportation hubs as well as several other countries.

Joining the list

The US joins the list of other nations that have eased or dropped COVID-related requirements for passengers from China. From March 1st, Japan dropped blanket testing of travelers upon arrival from mainland China and only tests selected samples.

India, which made it mandatory for all passengers from China, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, Thailand, and Japan to produce a negative test before departure, also dropped the requirement in February.

Photo: Ximo Chen | Shutterstock

Last month, the EU countries also decided to scrap COVID-related requirements for passengers from China in phases. Health experts from the member states reached a conclusion to first end the need to produce negative pre-departure COVID tests by the end of February, followed by dropping the random testing of travelers from China by mid-March.

All eyes on China

With China emerging from the shadows of the pandemic, airlines around the world are keen on re-establishing flights to the country. In January, Emirates announced it would increase its weekly flight operations to China as the country begins lifting COVID-19 travel restrictions.

British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, too, have announced their return to mainland China, with Virgin reopening its London (LHR)-Shanghai (PVG) route from Mat 1st. British Airways will reopen its LHR-PVG route on April 23rd and also plans to relaunch its LHR to Beijing Daxing International Airport (PKX) services in June.