China's Foreign Ministry on Friday explained that stricter epidemic prevention and control requirements for inbound travelers to China will maintain China’s hard-earned prevention and control achievements.

(File photo: CFP)

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin made the remarks at a media briefing, adding that October saw 515 imported cases to China, an increase of 45 percent compared to the previous month. Wang said imposing stricter epidemic prevention and control measures will safeguard public health and safety.

Nucleic acid testing for international arrivals to China before boarding has played an important role in controlling imported cases, but there is no single method that can guarantee absolute accuracy of testing results, Wang said. According to the professionals, IgM anti-body testing can be combined with nucleic acid testing to improve the accuracy of COVID-19 screening, so China has started to require foreign travelers to China to take both nucleic acid and IgM anti-body tests before boarding based on other countries’ experience, added Wang.

Considering the serious state of the pandemic overseas, passengers to China face higher risk of infection if they stop over in one more place. Nearly half of the imported cases to China got infected during their journey, even though they had tested negative before boarding, so it is necessary to require another test at the transit airport, Wang said. Wang added that passengers are advised to choose direct flights rather than connecting flights if they have to travel abroad. 

(Compiled by Zhu Yingqi and Huang Yuzhang)