UK expected to require travellers from China to provide negative pre-departure COVID test

The UK is expected to announce a requirement for travellers arriving from China to provide a negative pre-departure COVID test.

The move will align the UK with a number of other countries, such as the US, who announced a similar rule in recent days.

Sources say the move is precautionary and temporary, and due to a lack of confidence in China’s vaccine and data.

There has been a surge in infections in China after it rowed back some of its notoriously tough coronavirus rules.

Officials estimated 250 million people are likely to have contracted the virus in the first 20 days of December, according to leaked notes.

China’s biggest city, Shanghai, last week had 5.43 million positive cases among its 25 million residents.

However, the true number may be significantly higher as asymptomatic cases are no longer recorded.

Spain, Italy, Japan, South Korea, the US and India are among the countries that have recently brought in new rules on arrivals from China.

China’s own requirement for travellers to quarantine is ending on 8 January. It’s thought to be no longer effective given the high number of infections now present within the country.

The country’s loosening of the rules follows a rare wave of protests that appeared to surprise China’s leaders.