Passengers on China-bound flights from abroad will need to carry a negative Covid-19 test report, the civil aviation authority announced Tuesday as the Chinese government steps up measures to control “imported” coronavirus cases.
The nucleic acid tests would have to be carried out within five days before the scheduled flight at institutes vetted by Chinese embassies in the host countries, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) announced on Tuesday.
The new rule will apply to both Chinese citizens and foreigners travelling to China amid a graded increase in international travel.
“Passengers who are Chinese citizens are required to take photos of and upload the nucleic acid test results via an epidemic prevention mini program on the Chinese instant messaging platform WeChat,” the announcement said.
Foreigners have to contact the Chinese embassy to get the process started.
“Overseas travelers need to apply for a declaration of health status from the Chinese embassy with a valid written report of a negative test result,” the announcement added.
Local Chinese embassies have been tasked with assessing the testing capacity of host countries and formulate travel procedures when testing conditions are met, CAAC said.
According to Reuters, the CAAC has allowed more foreign airlines to resume services in China and add flights to the country as the economy recovers.
“Deutsche Lufthansa AG on Friday said it would double the number of flights to and from mainland China in coming weeks, and Air France KLM SA said it has received approval to add more China flights,” the news agency reported.
Last week, health authorities announced that all overseas arrivals still need to undergo quarantine and medical observation at designated sites.
However, entry with diplomatic, service, courtesy or ‘C’ visas were not affected, the ministry of foreign affairs had announced.
According to the national health commission (NHC), by the end of Monday, a total of 2,015 imported cases had been reported on the mainland.
As of Monday, the overall confirmed cases on the mainland had reached 83,693, including 242 patients who were still being treated, with seven in severe conditions.
The death toll remains at 4634.
