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China requires inbound passengers to test negative before boarding

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BEIJING: Passengers of China-bound flights must provide negative Covid-19 test results before boarding, China's aviation authority said yesterday, as the government looks to further reduce the risk of imported cases amid increased international travel.

Nucleic acid tests must be completed within five days of embarkation, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said on its website.

Tests should be conducted at facilities designated or recognised by Chinese embassies in host countries, it said.

The embassies will carefully assess the testing capacity of host countries and formulate travel procedures when testing conditions are met, CAAC said.

The announcement comes as countries struggle with testing capacity and speed.

In parts of the United States, receipt of test results can take up to two weeks, while in some other countries, nucleic acid tests are reserved for people who have come in close contact with Covid-19 patients or who have symptoms of the potentially fatal disease.

In the past month, the CAAC has allowed more foreign airlines to resume services in China and add flights to the country as the economy recovers.

Lufthansa on Friday said it would double the number of flights to and from China in the coming weeks, and Air France KLM said it received approval to add more China flights.

A number of airlines have been suspended from operating China routes after more than five passengers tested positive for the upon arrival.

China reported 11 new cases on Monday, down from 22 a day earlier, the health commission said yesterday.

Of the new infections, eight were in the far western region of Xinjiang.

The other three were imported cases.

As of Monday, China had 83,693 confirmed cases and the death toll remained at 4,634.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong reported 61 new cases yesterday, including 58 that were locally transmitted, adding to a slew of new cases over the past two weeks.

Hong Kong tightened social distancing measures this month after a rise in locally transmitted cases.

Since late January, more than 2,000 people have been infected in Hong Kong, 14 of whom have died. - REUTERS

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