Sweden announced on Thursday that it will require negative tests for Covid-19 from all travelers arriving from China, due to a sharp rise in the number of new coronavirus infections in the country, Reuters and News.ro reported.
“The Swedish government decided (on Thursday) morning to introduce temporary restrictions for travelers arriving from China,” Swedish Health Minister Jakob Forssmed announced at a press conference.
Forssmed clarified that these travelers must present a negative test result, regardless of vaccination status, but certain passengers – such as Swedish citizens and European Union (EU) residents – are exempt from this obligation.
This new duty should apply from Saturday, January 7.
The goal is to “postpone the possible introduction of a new variant of the virus” SARS-CoV-2, the minister emphasized.
Public health officials in Sweden fear new variants of the coronavirus
This week, Sweden’s Public Health Agency asked the government to prepare the measure because of “uncertainty” about “variants circulating in China.”
The EU agreed on Wednesday that anti-Covid testing of passengers from China is “strongly encouraged” in EU member states, following a meeting initiated by Sweden, which takes over the EU’s six-month presidency in early 2023.
Italy, Spain and France are already introducing coronavirus tests to travelers from China.
Germany and Belgium have announced they will do the same. The United States, in turn, demands that these tests be carried out from Thursday.
China on Tuesday condemned the testing of Chinese citizens, which it considers “unacceptable” and threatened “countermeasures”.
Source: Hot News
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