Canada has announced that it will require a negative COVID-19 test for passengers arriving from China as of January 5, joining other countries such as Australia and the United States, which have already decided to tighten border controls with the Asian country.
«These planned health measures will apply to travelers regardless of their nationality and vaccination status. They are temporary, effective for 30 days, and will be re-evaluated as more data and evidence becomes available,» the Canadian government said in a statement.
The measure will take effect as of 12:01 a.m. (local time) and will apply to all travelers arriving on flights originating in China, Hong Kong or Macau. Thus, passengers will have to present a negative COVID-19 test performed no more than two days prior to departure or, failing that, an antigen test.
«Passengers who tested positive more than ten days prior to their departure flight, but not more than 90 days, may provide the airline with documentation of their previous positive result, in lieu of a negative result,» the Canadian Executive has explained.
For its part, Morocco has decided to ban the entry of all travelers from China as of January 3 «in order to avoid a new wave of spread in Morocco and all its consequences».
«This exceptional measure in no way tarnishes the sincere friendship between the two peoples and the strategic partnership between the two countries and to which the Kingdom remains strongly attached,» the Foreign Ministry explained in a statement, reported by the MAP news agency.
The explosion of COVID-19 cases in China, resulting from the lifting of most of the restrictions imposed throughout the pandemic, has generated concern worldwide and has led to the imposition in several countries of new controls for travelers from the Asian giant.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
