Many countries around the world have imposed new Covid-19 measures on travelers arriving from China in response to the resurgence of the virus in the country of 1.4 billion people.
Not South Africa. The government just wants you to make sure you go and get vaccinated or, if you have, get a booster shot.
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While China in December eased travel restrictions – despite reports of overcrowded hospitals and morgues – European Union countries agreed on Tuesday for a “coordinated approach” to the changing Covid situation in China.
This is true, because China keeps its cards close to the chest regarding the number of infections, with reports saying that, for example, in Shanghai, 70% of the population may be positive for Covid.
Italy was the fastest European country to respond to the rise in Covid infections in China, ordering antigen swabs and virus sequencing for travelers arriving from the country.
Currently, France, Spain, the United States, India, Israel, Qatar and Morocco are among the other countries that have introduced additional Covid measures for arrivals from China.
From today, the US, expressing concern about the “lack of transparent data”, also decided that all air passengers must have a negative Covid result from a test no more than two days before departure from China, Hong Kong and Macao.
China says the entry ban has “no scientific basis and is unreasonable” – and it is not surprising that the ANC government – a known friend of China – is siding with the superpower.
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The question on many lips, however, is whether it is time for South Africa to join the bandwagon and also err on the side of caution.
We believe that while it is wise to have many people to be vaccinated, we must be careful that we are not dicing with people living for political gain.