Countries in the European Union are being “strongly” recommended to insist on negative Covid tests from Chinese arrivals before they travel.
The recommendation by the EU’s Integrated Political Crisis Response group (IPCR), a body made up of officials from the EU’s 27 governments, comes as the England imposes pre-departure tests on passengers from China from today (Thursday).
The EU body also advised that all passengers on flights to and from China wear face masks; random testing of flights from China be introduced, and wastewater monitoring be conducted at airports.
The recommendation comes a day after the European Commission said an “overwhelming” number of member states favoured restrictions on Chinese arrivals.
France, Spain and Italy have already introduced testing – but others, such as Germany, had been monitoring the situation.
It not known if an EU-wide policy will be introduced, but individual states can set their own policy, the BBC reported.
The advice from the IPCR is different from the body’s disease prevention agency, which last week advised against the introduction of mandatory Covid tests.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said testing was “unjustified” due to the high rates of vaccination in Europe, and that variants circulating in China were already in the European Union.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday there was no evidence of new variants in China, despite the surge in cases.
However, this could be due to a lack of testing and data.
The Foreign Office updated its travel advice to reflect the introduction of pre-departure tests on passengers from mainland China, saying: “China is currently experiencing its largest Covid-19 outbreak, and there may be an increased risk of infection.
“You should ensure you have a supply of medication for Covid-19 or flu-like symptoms.
“Covid-19 restrictions have been significantly relaxed, but some restrictions remain in place across mainland China.
“Even where restrictions have formally been lifted, local authorities and businesses may still require proof of a negative Covid-19 test result to access services.
“You should check carefully before you travel, as local arrangements are liable to change at short notice.”
The Beijing government claimed that travel restrictions on Chinese arrivals are politically motivated and warned that it may retaliate.