China's reopening of borders leads to entry restrictions from other countries

As China prepares to reopen its borders in early January after abandoning its zero-Covid policy, countries around the world are implementing or considering measures to test or restrict travelers from China. The United States is considering new coronavirus measures for people traveling from China amid growing concerns about the risk of a resurgence of infections, according to a U.S. official. Japan moved quickly yesterday to announce steps requiring a negative COVID-19 test upon arrival after Beijing announced it would no longer quarantine travelers from Jan. 8. China is rapidly lifting strict pandemic measures amid discontent with its zero-Covid rules, and the country has seen a surge in infections. Uncertainty about the true scale of infections without reliable official figures is raising concerns that the rapid spread of the virus could lead to the emergence of new variants. U.S. officials said they had raised questions about the transparency of the government’s reporting of the spread of the virus. Earlier this week, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida raised concerns by saying there were “large discrepancies” in information coming from the country.