Beijing has slammed COVID restrictions on travellers from China as “unacceptable” and politically motivated and warned it may retaliate.
Australia and countries like the USA and UK have targeted China passengers amid a surge in infections after Beijing dropped its ‘zero COVID’ strategy.
On Tuesday it was revealed Australia’s Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly advised the federal government against such testing before the rules were introduced.
China’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said the measures “taken against China” were not science-based.
“Some of these measures are disproportionate and simply unacceptable,” she stated, in response to a question from a journalist during her regular media briefing on Tuesday night.
“We firmly reject using COVID measures for political purposes and will take corresponding measures in response to varying situations based on the principle of reciprocity.”
Ms Ning said COVID response measures should not be politically motivated.
“China always believes that for all countries, COVID response measures need to be science-based and proportionate,” she said.
“They should not be used for political manipulation, there should not be discriminatory measures against certain countries, and measures should not affect normal travel and people-to-people exchange and cooperation.”
Chinese citizens receive infusion therapy at a community health centre in Hangzhou. Photo: Getty
Meanwhile the World Health Organisation has called on China to provide a “more realistic picture” of its COVID-19 situation.
The WHO invited Chinese scientists to present data on which variants were circulating, as some global health experts questioned if Beijing was hiding the extent of its outbreak. .
“We want to see a more realistic picture of what is actually going on,” Professor Marion Koopmans, a Dutch virologist who sits on the WHO committee, said.
She told Reuters ahead of the meeting that some of the data from China, such as hospitalisation numbers, was “not very credible”.
“It is in the interests of China itself to come forward with more reliable information.”
Patients on stretchers at a Shanghai hospital as COVID spreads. Photo: Getty
Australia needs border plan
In Australia, doctors are calling for a comprehensive plan for all travellers coming into the country as COVID cases threaten to soar across the globe.
Australian Medical Association (AMA) President Steve Robson said a genuine strategy — rather than a “series of political responses” — was needed to keep Australians safe.
Professor Robson said the decision to test China tourists was another example of why a far-reaching plan would hold the country in good stead.
Despite Professor Kelly advising that the requirement was “unnecessary and inconsistent with Australia’s COVID-19 management”, Health Minister Mark Butler went ahead and imposed the measure.
The minister has defended the decision, saying he was acting with “an abundance of caution”.
Professor Robson said: “We really would love to see a comprehensive strategy about how to deal with the COVID situation in the northern hemisphere, at a time when there’s a huge amount of travel going on and almost no mitigations rather than what would look to people like a series of political responses.”
“We want to see a comprehensive strategy that’s informed by public health practice, to just say, ‘what needs to be done to protect Australians at this vulnerable time?'”
Acknowledging Australians were going into their fourth year of COVID, Prof Robson said he understood the fatigue people were feeling but more people would die unless fundamental principles were adopted.
“We’ve just literally come out of the most lethal year of the pandemic by a longshot … we want to see a strategy that’s evidence-based, nimble … and based on good public health principles,” he said.
“We haven’t really heard anything from the government except a plan that really seems cobbled-together … it’s time for this cobbling to stop and coherence to start.”
