Philippine Transport Secretary Jaime Bautista said he’s in favor of imposing Covid measures including testing on inbound travelers from China, mulling similar plans by the US amid a rapid rise in infections in the mainland as Covid Zero restrictions are lifted.
(Bloomberg) — Philippine Transport Secretary Jaime Bautista said he’s in favor of imposing Covid measures including testing on inbound travelers from China, mulling similar plans by the US amid a rapid rise in infections in the mainland as Covid Zero restrictions are lifted.
“We should be very cautious because if they have a lot of Covid cases, we should be careful about Chinese visitors coming into the Philippines,” Bautista told reporters Wednesday. Bautista said he supports testing visitors coming from China, but not banning them.
The US government is concerned about the surge of cases in China, and has raised questions about the transparency of data the country is reporting about the spread of the virus, according to officials.
China has announced it will no longer subject inbound travelers to quarantine from Jan. 8 as it emerges from three years of global isolation. Arriving passengers will only be required to obtain negative Covid test results within 48 hours of departure.
Meanwhile, the Philippines is ready to reopen talks with China on loans for a Philippine rail project, Bautista said ahead of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s state visit on Jan. 3-6.
(Adds comments from transport chief in 2nd paragraph, background throughout)
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