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Coronavirus China
ChinaDiplomacy

Spain joins Italy in placing new Covid-19 controls on Chinese travellers but other European countries say they have no plans to do so

  • South Korea also announced that it will limit flights and suspend applications for tourist visas from China
  • Italy’s controls – imposed after half the passengers on two flights tested positive – have been criticised by the EU’s health agency as unjustified

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Italy was the first European country to impose restrictions on travellers from China. Photo: AFP
Kawala Xie
Spain became the second nation in Europe to tighten Covid-19 restrictions on Chinese travellers following earlier curbs imposed by Italy that have been criticised as unjustified by the EU’s health agency.
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Earlier this week, Spain’s tourist board had reacted to the news that China would lift travel curbs on its citizens with a post on Chinese social media that read: “After three whole years, Spain is finally done waiting for you!”

But on Friday the country’s government said that arrivals from China would now have to produce a vaccination record or a negative PCR test result.

“Travellers from China will have to show ‘proof’ that they are negative … or a full vaccination list,” health minister Carolina Darias said.

Italy, which was the first country in Europe to be hit by Covid in 2020, imposed mandatory Covid-19 tests on arrivals from China on Wednesday, after more than half the passengers on two flights from China to Milan were found to be infected.

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On Friday, South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo announced that Seoul will suspend applications for tourist visas and limit the number of flights for travellers from mainland China from January 5.
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