Making Covid tests mandatory

Playing it safe: A traveller of a flight from China walking through the Covid-19 testing booths at the Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle airport in Roissy, outside Paris. France is among several European nations that have imposed tougher Covid-19 measures on Chinese travellers amid concerns over a lack of data on infections in China and fears of the possibility that new variants may spread. — AFP

BEIJING: Australia and Canada have joined a growing list of countries requiring travellers from China to take a Covid-19 test prior to boarding their flight, as China battles a nationwide outbreak of the coronavirus after abruptly easing restrictions that were in place for much of the pandemic.

Australian health authorities said that from Jan 5, air travellers from mainland China, Hong Kong or Macao will need to show a negative Covid-19 test taken within two days of their departure.