France and the United Kingdom will require travelers from China to submit a negative Covid-19 test before departure, French officials and British media announced this Friday.
Faced with an outbreak of Covid-19 cases in China, France and the United Kingdom joined Italy and Spain among European countries that imposed restrictions, while the European Union (EU) was unable to speak with one voice on the matter.
In the United Kingdom, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports that the move by British authorities is being picked up by the national media.
In France, all passengers arriving from China, on direct flights or with a stopover, must have a negative test, PCR or antigen, conducted less than 48 hours before departure, a government source said at a press conference.
Other tests are carried out during random visits, with positive samples undergoing sequencing to detect possible new variants of the virus.
The French government added that travelers should ensure self-isolation if they test positive upon arrival.
Also, wearing masks is mandatory on flights from China to France.
Prime Minister Elizabeth Bourne’s decree establishing the control measures will be published at the end of the week and sent to the European Commission and EU member states, the government revealed.
The European Commission has recognized an “alarming” increase in Covid-19 cases in China and recommended surveillance measures to member states, such as sequencing samples.
The Portuguese government is preparing measures to control Covid-19 for travelers from China, which will be implemented if necessary, the health minister announced, denying “alarm” given the number of recent infections in the Chinese population.
According to the minister, the government is monitoring the evolution of Covid-19 in China, which is “worrying”, “maintaining close dialogue with other European countries, namely within the framework of the European Union and with international health organizations”.
According to Manuel Pizarro, only one weekly direct flight from China lands in Portugal, but the possibility of control measures for passengers on flights with stops in other countries is being evaluated.
Outside the European Union, countries such as the United States, South Korea, Malaysia, Japan and Israel have also taken measures to counter the rising number of cases in China, Efe reported.
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