China threatens arrivals with reciprocal Covid travel curbs

The UK government said the decision to introduce curbs on Chinese travellers owed to the "lack of comprehensive health information" shared by the country around the current extent of its Covid-19 epidemic.

Cited by The Guardian speaking at a recent briefing, China’s foreign minister spokesperson Mao Ning said: "We believe the entry restrictions adopted by some countries targeting China lack scientific basis, and some excessive practices are even more unacceptable."

"We are firmly opposed to attempts to manipulate the Covid measures for political purposes and will take countermeasures based on the principle of reciprocity."

UK transport secretary Mark Harper, though, has indicated there will be no self-isolation or quarantine requirement for travellers from China who test positive for Covid-19 upon their arrival in the UK. Harper said the effort was about collecting data on China’s Covid epidemic amid the country’s reluctance to share its own data.

Tests will be sequenced to check for potential new variants of Covid-19, with the virus having circulated in China since its emergence largely without the effect of international travel.