Medical workers treat patients at a clinic of Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, on December 15, 2022. Photo: Xinhua/Yang Qing

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control last week said it did not recommend restrictive measures for travelers from China. Variants circulating in China might already exist in the EU, where people have been vaccinated at high rates, the agency said.

17 Arab countries have placed Covid curbs on visitors from China, after China decided to open its doors to outbound tourists amid the increase in Covid-19 cases in the country. Qatar announced Monday that it requires travelers arriving from China to provide a negative Covid-19 test result taken within 48 hours of departure. Morocco imposed an entry ban on travelers from China.

In South America, the Chilean Ministry of Health on Monday required all travelers from China to present a negative PCR test result until the end of March 2023.