US considers new Covid prevention measures amid China's surge in cases

The United States (US) is considering taking new coronavirus prevention measures for people traveling from China, the country which has seen a rapid increase in infections as officials lift the zero Covid policy, according to Bloomberg news.

The US government is concerned about the surge in Covid cases in China, said officials, adding that it has raised questions about the transparency of data. The officials requested anonymity to discuss internal thinking.

Japan now requires a negative Covid-19 test report upon arrival for travelers from China, while Malaysia has imposed new tracking and surveillance measures. Officials stated that the US is weighing similar steps as a way to prevent further spread.

Discontent with Covid Zero sparked protests in China, leading authorities to move rapidly toward ending those policies and three years of self-isolation from the rest of the world. Yet the speed of those changes has seen infections surge, as per Bloomberg reports.

China will no longer subject inbound travelers to quarantine starting January 8, the country said.

In an official statement, China's National Health Commission said that people arriving in the country will only be required to obtain negative test results within 48 hours of departure.

At the same time, China is experiencing the world’s largest Covid-19 outbreak, raising concerns among public-health officials worldwide. Almost 37 million people may have been infected with the virus on a single day last week, according to estimates from the government’s top health authority.

US officials said they were considering new travel precautions based on consultations with public health experts and international partners. They said the talks have been prompted in part by concerns over the lack of genomic sequencing data that could help identify the emergence of a new variant, Bloomberg reported. 

Health experts have said they’re worried that the virus’s unabated spread could spawn a dangerous new variant for the first time since the omicron strain caused infections to surge more than a year ago.

(With Bloomberg inputs)