Status: 12/30/2022 8:33 p.m
After several countries, Great Britain and France apparently also decided that travelers from China must present a negative corona test. Health Minister Lauterbach is still holding back.
According to reports, France and Great Britain also want to introduce a corona test requirement for travelers from China. The USA, Italy, Spain and South Korea had previously decided to make testing mandatory.
The British government will announce that travelers from China will have to present a negative corona test before they start their journey, several British media reported unanimously. The government has not yet officially confirmed this.
In order to enter France, travelers from China will have to present a negative corona test that is less than 48 hours old, the Paris government said. The obligation to test should apply regardless of whether the travelers land on a direct flight or with a stopover in France.
Random tests and mandatory masks on flights
In addition, random corona tests should be carried out upon entry from China, according to French government circles. If the result is positive, the virus will be sequenced to identify possible new variants. If the test is positive, travelers would have to isolate themselves.
Masks are also mandatory for flights from China to France. The French government announced that the measures will be published later this weekend by decree of Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne. The EU and its member states would also be informed.
After almost three years, China’s leadership abruptly announced an end to its strict zero-corona policy on December 7th. According to officially unconfirmed internal estimates, 248 million people were infected with the corona virus in the first three weeks of December alone. That’s 18 percent of the population.
Pressure on Germany is growing
Countries such as Japan, India and Malaysia have also tightened their entry requirements for travelers from China. The pressure on Germany could now grow to take protective measures.
In the afternoon, Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach saw no reason to introduce a compulsory corona test for travelers from China. But he wanted to talk to his French counterpart François Braun about it. “We need a European solution,” said the SPD politician.
Lauterbach: No reason for routine tests
At the present time, a threat from new variants is not to be expected, since previously known variants have appeared. According to Lauterbach, there is no reason for “routine antigen tests”. The EU health authority ECDC had argued the same way.
Lauterbach emphasized that the assessment of the situation could change. Data on variants from China could not be reliably retrieved. The health minister therefore wants to work with other EU countries to prepare a system for “variant monitoring” at airports.