Eu

European Union government officials recommended on Wednesday that passengers flying from China to the EU should have a negative COVID-19 test before they board. They also suggested all passenger on flights to and from China should wear face masks, that EU governments introduce random testing of passengers arriving from China and that they test and sequence wastewater in airports with international flights and planes arriving from China.

Greece

Air travellers to Greece from China must show they have tested negative for COVID-19 48 hours before arrival, a new requirement that will be announced shortly, two government officials said on Thursday.

Sweden

Sweden will require travelers from China to show they have tested negative for COVID before they can enter the country, the government said.

Britain

The UK will require a pre-departure negative COVID-19 test for passengers from China as of Jan. 5, the Department of Health said on Friday. However, a report in The Independent on Monday said passengers from China who arrive in the United Kingdom next week will not face compulsory COVID-19 tests on arrival.

France

France will require travellers from China to provide a negative COVID test result less than 48 hours before departure.

Starting Jan. 1, France will carry out random PCR COVID tests upon arrival on travellers coming from China, a government official told reporters.

France has urged all 26 other European Union member states to test Chinese travellers for COVID.

Australia

Travellers from China to Australia will need to submit a negative COVID-19 test from Jan. 5, Australian Health Minister Mark Butler said on Sunday.

India

The country has mandated a COVID-19 negative test report for travellers arriving from China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Thailand. Passengers from those countries will be quarantined if they show symptoms or test positive.

Canada

Air travellers to Canada from China must test negative for COVID-19 no more than two days before departure, Ottawa said.

Japan

The country will require negative coronavirus test results within 72 hours of passengers boarding direct flights from China, the prime minister said on Jan 4. That is in addition to an existing regulation that passengers who had been in China in the seven days prior to their flight will be subject to a COVID-19 test on arrival in Japan. Those who test positive will be required to quarantine for seven days.

Italy

Italy has ordered COVID-19 antigen swabs and virus sequencing for all travellers from China. Milan’s main airport, Malpensa, has already started testing passengers arriving from Beijing and Shanghai.

Spain

Spain will require a negative COVID-19 test or a full course of vaccination against the disease upon arrival for travellers from China.

Malaysia

Malaysia will screen all inbound travellers for fever and test wastewater from aircraft arriving from China for COVID-19.

Taiwan

Taiwan’s Central Epidemic Command Centre said all passengers on direct flights from China, as well as by boat at two offshore islands, will have to take PCR tests upon arrival, starting on Jan. 1.

South korea

South Korea will require travellers from China, Macau and Hong Kong to provide negative COVID test results before departure, health authorities said.

Morocco

Morocco will impose a ban on people arriving from China, whatever their nationality, from Jan. 3.

Qatar

Qatar will require travellers arriving from China from Jan. 3 to provide a negative COVID-19 test result taken within 48 hours of departure, state news agency QNA said.

Belgium

Belgium will test wastewater from planes arriving from China for new COVID variants as part of new steps against the spread of the coronavirus, the government announced on Monday.

Israel

Newly appointed Health Minister Aryeh Deri announced new COVID-19 testing requirements for travellers from China, joining other nations imposing restrictions because of a surge of infections, according to the Times of Israel.

Places monitoring situation

Philippines

The Philippines sees a need to intensify monitoring and implementation of border controls for incoming individuals especially from China, Manila’s health ministry said.

(Compiled by Bernard Orr; Editing by Neil Fullick and Stephen Coates)