China orders COVID-19 tests for travel with some border cities
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[December 11, 2021]
BEIJING (Reuters) - China has
ordered some border cities to beef up vigilance against COVID-19 with
measures such as mandatory testing for travellers, in its effort to
prevent clusters caused by viruses arriving from abroad.
Since mid-October, locally-transmitted symptomatic cases have risen to
more than 2,000, with several small northern towns on the borders with
Russia or Mongolia, among the hardest-hit, as health resources there are
sparser than in major cities.
"There have been multiple local outbreaks in China recently, all caused
by viruses imported from overseas via cities with ports of entry," the
government said in a notice, citing local areas' weaknesses in
monitoring and failure to enforce measures.
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People who intend to leave from border cities with overland ports of
entry must show proof of negative test results within 48 hours before
departure, said the notice, which excluded those from cities with ports
of entry linked to Hong Kong or Macau.
Arrivals in such cities must take at least one COVID-19 test, added the
notice by national authorities in charge of COVID-19 control.
The testing measures will run until March 15 next year.
In November, authorities in Beijing urged people not to travel
unnecessarily to the Chinese capital from counties with overland ports
of entry.
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![](../images/121121pics/news_q61.jpg)
Passengers wearing face masks get off a train at Suifenhe railway
station, a city of Heilongjiang province on the border with Russia,
as the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues
in the country, China April 11, 2020. REUTERS/Huizhong Wu
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Some cities with entry ports could have tight curbs in "buffer"
areas, but less tough measures outside, Saturday's notice said.
The measures aim to reduce disruption to livelihoods in areas
dependent on cross-border trade, the national health authority said
in a statement published alongside the notice.
(Reporting by Roxanne Liu and Ryan Woo; Editing by Clarence
Fernandez)
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