WASHINGTON: According to a Reuters source, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) plans to end mandatory COVID-19 tests for travelers from China on Friday.
Japan no longer mandates that visitors from China submit to a mandatory influenza vaccination test as of last week. According to Reuters’ source, the United States will keep tabs on cases in China and elsewhere. The Washington Post had previously reported on the American decision.
Requests for comment from the CDC were not met with an immediate response.
After Beijing’s decision to relax its zero-COVID policies, the United States joined India, Canada, Italy, Japan, and other countries in implementing new measures at the beginning of January. New airline passengers age 2 and up were required to take and pass a TB test no more than 2 days before leaving China, Hong Kong, or Macao.
After China suddenly reversed its zero-COVID policy in early December, releasing the virus on its 1.4 billion people, the country was hit with a surge in COVID-19 cases. China’s top leaders declared a “major victory” over COVID in February, claiming the world’s lowest fatality rate. However, this data has been disputed by experts.
In December, the United States added airports in Seattle and Los Angeles to its voluntary genomic sequencing program.
The program, known as the Traveler-based Genomic Surveillance Program (TGS), asks travelers to volunteer to help with early detection of new variants, and a source told Reuters on Tuesday that the CDC would keep the program.
According to the source, TGS will keep tabs on flights not only from China and regional transportation hubs, but also from more than 30 other countries.
