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After more than 1,010 days of being closed off from the outside world, China will finally open its borders on January 8. But as much as the reopening is expected, there is concern that the spread of infections in the country is growing at a high frequency. Several countries have already re-introduced pandemic restrictions on flights to China, which has not been approved by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Welcome to unwanted challenges
Fearing another wave could contaminate the world, several countries, including the US and UK, have restarted pre-departure Covid-19 tests for travelers from China. Other countries such as Australia, Israel, India, Canada, Spain, Italy, South Korea and Japan are reinstating arrival screening and seven-day quarantine requirements.
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France required all passengers from China to undergo a pre-departure test, which had to be done no later than 48 hours before the flight. The country also conducts random tests on incoming travelers and has been calling on all EU countries to start testing travelers from China. However, EU officials could not agree on a common position at their meeting in Brussels before Christmas.
Still, more talks are expected this week before China’s long-awaited reopening. And perhaps Morocco is thought to be the first country to ban entry to travelers from China. The statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs:
“Due to the evolution of the health situation related to COVID-19 in China and a new wave of pollution in Morocco and to avoid all its consequences, the Moroccan authorities have decided to prohibit entry into the territory of the Kingdom of Morocco. All travelers, regardless of their nationality, are from the People’s Republic of China.
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IATA condemns the restrictions
But are these entry restrictions really necessary and do they actually help prevent or reduce the spread of infection? IATA Director General Willie Walsh said he doesn’t think so, but rather that various countries have criticized China’s relatively slow response to the reopening.
Walsh concluded that several studies of Omicron diversity did not make a difference to the spread of infections and only delayed the peak by a few days. And if a new variant emerges from any part of the world, the same situation is expected, and restrictions are still useless.
He stressed that such restrictions would damage relations between these countries and China, as evidenced by the country’s views on how international law is ‘unacceptable’.
Walsh continued:
“It is incredibly disappointing to see this return to the knees of bully that has proven ineffective over the past three years. We have the tools to manage COVID-19 without resorting to ineffective measures that disrupt international relations, disrupt economies, and destroy jobs. They should base their decisions on ‘science,’ not ‘politics.’ They must be based on ‘facts’.
at last
Willie Walsh has strong arguments, while it is inevitable that they will simply try to protect their citizens from a new health crisis that creates unwanted fear and isolation. Just reinstating the ban on China sends a very unusual message, especially in other countries where infections are still rising, but not in such high numbers.
Regardless, singling out one nation for the problems that are still happening to other nations seems very depressing. Additionally, Walsh makes a good point about how such laws can hurt the economy, especially for countries like Morocco that ban thousands of Chinese tourists visiting the country each year.
Photo: Shutterstock
And politics aside, the start of the ban will send the global aviation industry back to a time when longer journeys were filled with testing requirements. Not only is it a burden on passengers, but it is a huge burden on workers, where the aviation industry is relatively small.
What do you make of the recent restrictions on China? Let us know in the comments.
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