China infectious diseases screening: China’s customs authorities said that more than 600 million people were screened at international entry points over the past five years as part of efforts to block infectious diseases from entering the country.
Deputy Director General of the customs agency, Zhao Zenglian, told reporters that officials had detected over 180,000 cases of infectious diseases at China’s borders during that period. He added that border staff also intercepted 5.25 million “disease vectors”, preventing the entry of more than 30 types of vector-borne illnesses.
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Although Zhao did not specify the diseases in question, Chinese authorities have recently flagged concerns over imported cases of mpox and mosquito-borne viruses such as chikungunya.
“Quarantine defences at ports of entry have become more robust,” Zhao said, highlighting a “closed-loop” system that coordinates monitoring from overseas arrivals through to home-based precautions.
The announcement comes as Beijing looks to revive inbound tourism and attract foreign investment to shore up its slowing economy. However, some governments, including Australia and Britain, continue to caution travellers about possible health checks upon arrival in China.
China’s stringent zero-COVID policy, which ran from early 2020 until December 2022, kept the country largely sealed off from the world. At that time, travellers were subject to swab tests at the border, lengthy quarantines in designated facilities, and monitored transfers back home, all under a tightly controlled “closed-loop” system.
(Source: Reuters)
