China says entry restrictions on passengers ‘lack scientific basis’

China has criticised as “simply unreasonable” entry restrictions imposed by some countries on its travellers in response to a surge in coronavirus cases. Foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said Beijing would respond in kind to governments that have introduced measures targeted only at passengers from China.

“We believe that some countries’ entry restrictions targeting only China lack scientific basis and some excessive measures are unacceptable,” she told a press briefing.

“We firmly oppose attempts to manipulate Covid prevention and control measures to achieve political goals, and China will take corresponding measures based on the principle of reciprocity in different situations.”

From Thursday, countries including the United States, France, Italy, Spain and Britain will require international arrivals from China to show proof of a negative PCR test within 48 hours before departure. Morocco has banned all arrivals from China regardless of their test status.

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European Union health officials will meet on Wednesday in an attempt to agree a co-ordinated response to the rise of coronavirus infections in China. But the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said on Tuesday that there was no evidence of new strains of the virus circulating in China.

“The variants circulating in China are already circulating in the EU, and as such are not challenging for the immune response of EU/EEA citizens. In addition, EU/EEA citizens have relatively high immunisation and vaccination levels,” the agency said in a statement.

“Given higher population immunity in the EU/EEA, as well as the prior emergence and subsequent replacement of variants currently circulating in China by other Omicron sub-lineages in the EU/EEA, a surge in cases in China is not expected to impact the Covid-19 epidemiological situation in the EU/EEA.”

Coronavirus has swept through major Chinese cities including Beijing since the country abandoned its zero-Covid policy a month ago. Chinese and international epidemiologists agree that the wave of infections may already have peaked in Beijing, Shanghai and other major cities but that rural areas will be hit later this month.

The spread of the virus is likely to be enhanced around the Lunar New Year on January 22, when tens of millions of people are expected to travel within China to spend the festival with relations. Chinese health officials have expressed concern about the capacity of the healthcare system in rural areas to cope with a surge in infections.

The ECDC said it was working closely with the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention as well as the World Health Organisation. But the EU agency said information about the progress of the wave of infections in China remained sketchy.

“There continues to be a lack of reliable data on Covid-19 cases, hospital admissions, deaths as well as Intensive Care Unit (ICU) capacity and occupancy in China. High levels of Sars-CoV-2 infections and increased pressure on healthcare services in China are expected in the coming weeks due to low population immunity and the relaxation of non-pharmaceutical interventions,” it said.