Australia is continuing to monitor the COVID-19 crisis in China, after the United States and other countries said they would require inbound travellers to get tested before arrival.
The US has joined India, Italy, Japan and Taiwan in imposing the mandatory test requirement for arrivals from China after Beijing’s decision to ease its strict virus policies.
“We will continue to monitor the situation there, as we do around the world, and will respond in accordance to health advice,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told Seven’s Sunrise on Thursday.
“At this point in time, there has been no change to the travel advice between China and Australia.”
As of Thursday, the federal government was advising travellers to China to exercise a high degree of caution “due to ongoing local COVID-19 restrictions”.
Currently, inbound travellers to China are required to have a negative test prior to departure and may be subject to quarantine or home monitoring upon arrival.
But on January 8, China will cease requiring inbound travellers to go into quarantine in a major step toward easing curbs on its borders, which have been largely shut since 2020.
Chinese hospitals and funeral homes are under intense pressure off the back of a surging virus wave.
There are doubts over the accuracy of China’s official data, prompting some countries overnight to enact new travel rules on Chinese visitors. China is also accused of not providing access to genomic sequencing on viral strains circulating in the country.
China earlier this month began dismantling the world’s strictest regime of lockdowns and extensive testing, putting itself on course for a full reopening next year.
But now, from January 5 in the US, all air passengers aged two years and older will require a negative result no more than two days before departure from China, Hong Kong or Macao, health officials announced on Wednesday.
There are fears the rapid spread of the virus in China could result in the emergence of a new and more infectious variant.
China has nine domestically developed vaccines approved for use but none has been updated to target the highly infectious Omicron variant. At the same time, it has not yet authorised foreign mRNA vaccines.
Mr Albanese said it was important for Australians to get their COVID-19 vaccinations up to date.
“I give people a reminder again … if you’re eligible for a booster please get it,” he told Nine’s Today Show.
“Don’t relax. COVID is still around.”
Italy imposed its new testing requirements after more than half of the passengers on two flights arriving from China at Milan’s main airport, Malpensa, tested positive.
Former DFAT Australia China scholar Andrew Phelan said it was a good idea for countries be cautious.
He told Sky News when Chinese New Year is celebrated in January, it would mean the largest internal migration in the world as people return to their home towns and the virus spread should be examined.
“I think the wise approach is to go slowly and cautiously … There’s a possibility of new strains, we don’t know that and we need to monitor that,” he said.
© AAP 2022
