US officials said that the United States is considering imposing restrictions on travelers arriving from China, coinciding with Beijing easing measures to contain the emerging Corona virus (Covid-19) this month and exacerbating fears of the emergence of new variants originating from China.
This step comes after Japan, India and Malaysia announced tightening procedures for entry of arrivals from China in the past 24 hours due to an increase in coronavirus infections there.
Japan said it would require people arriving from China to provide a negative COVID-19 test certificate, while Malaysia imposed more monitoring and follow-up measures.
Data from the Japanese Ministry of Health indicated today, Wednesday, that the country recorded 415 deaths from Covid-19, which is the highest death toll from the virus ever.
Some hospitals and cemeteries in China are facing great pressure as the virus spreads largely across the country with the cancellation of basic measures of the “zero Covid” policy, prompting US officials to express concern about the possibility of new variants emerging.
The possibilities are becoming more real
According to observers, these possibilities became more realistic last Monday, with Beijing announcing its intention to cancel the mandatory quarantine for arrivals from abroad, as of January 8, and the rush of many Chinese to book travel trips abroad.
"There are growing concerns in the international community about the continuing increases in infections in China and the lack of transparency in the data there, including the genetic sequence data of the virus," the US officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The lack of genetic sequence data has worried everyone, making it "increasingly difficult for public health officials to ensure that they will be able to identify any potential new variants and take immediate measures to limit their spread," according to US officials.
With China easing the measures, the curtain falls on the zero Covid policy, which includes mass testing, closures and long quarantine periods, which has disrupted supply chains in the world and impeded trade cooperation with the second largest economy in the world.