The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) posted a travel alert Wednesday, saying Americans should “reconsider travel to China, Hong Kong, and Macau,” due to a “rapid increase” in Covid-19 cases there coupled with “limited health care resources.”
The CDC is further recommending that any Americans who do visit China wear masks while indoors in public.
The CDC advisory follows an announcement from the Biden Administration that as of January 5 it will require all travelers over age 2 from China, Hong Kong, and Macau to present a negative Covid test before flying to the U.S.
Several other nations are also requiring travelers from China show a negative Covid test before entering. The requirements follow rising global concerns as China has eased its formerly draconian zero Covid policy amid a surge of cases.
Federal health authorities in the U.S. have not required negative Covid tests from any international visitors since June. But the U.S. has required that all foreign travelers prove they are fully vaccinated with the primary series of a Covid-19 vaccine.
Officials said Wednesday that they were waiting until next week to impose the Covid test requirement to allow for airlines to implement the revived requirements.
“It does take some effort by the airlines to update their data systems to put this all in place. And so we have to make this announcement today, but it will take time to implement the program,” a federal health official told reporters at a briefing.
