Canada is lifting COVID-19 testing rules for travellers from China – National | 24CA News
Canada will raise its COVID-19 testing necessities for travellers from China, Hong Kong and Macau Friday morning, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) introduced Thursday.
The transfer comes almost three weeks earlier than the measures have been set to run out and rapidly follows the lifting of comparable necessities by the United States.
Since Jan. 5, air travellers arriving in Canada on flights originating from the People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong or Macau which are two years of age and older have been required to current a damaging COVID-19 check earlier than boarding the plane to Canada.
Those guidelines will now expire at 12:01 a.m. ET Friday, PHAC mentioned in an announcement.
“This means that there will no longer be any federal COVID-19 border measures in place after that time,” the company added.
The testing necessities have been put in place by Canada, the U.S. and lots of different nations as China battled a surge in COVID-19 infections after lifting its “zero-COVID” measures late final yr, permitting residents to journey each inside and outdoors the nation for the primary time in almost three years.
The surge in circumstances overwhelmed Chinese hospitals and led to tens of 1000’s of deaths since December, and prompted fears {that a} new variant of the virus may take maintain in different components of the world and lengthen the pandemic.
At the time, nations that imposed testing necessities on travellers from China, Hong Kong and Macau mentioned the measures have been needed to make sure new variants may very well be detected, accusing Beijing of not sharing full well being information.
“Ongoing gaps in data availability” from China was the rationale given by Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos when the measures have been prolonged for 2 extra months in February.
China has insisted it has been clear all through the surge, which has since returned to comparatively regular an infection ranges after an aggressive vaccination marketing campaign. The nation declared final month it had achieved a “decisive victory” over COVID-19.
Read extra:
U.S. to loosen up COVID-19 testing guidelines on vacationers from China this week: sources
PHAC mentioned Thursday that wastewater sampling in Canada has not detected the looks of any new variants of concern.
“In addition, the COVID-19 situation in both China and Canada has improved, and the Canadian healthcare systems remain stable,” it added.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention rescinded its personal testing necessities for these travellers final Friday.
On Tuesday, China introduced it’ll reopen its borders to vacationers and resume issuing all visas to travellers, one of many final nations to take action for the reason that pandemic started.
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