Japan To The US Anticipates COVID-19 Waves In China, Ministry Of Health Monitors Development

Illustration of COVID-19 Beijing, China. (Wikimedia Commons/Pau Colomis)

JAKARTA - The Indonesian Ministry of Health monitors and reviews the development of the COVID-19 wave in China, while a number of countries have taken anticipatory steps and are considering the steps that need to be taken.

A wave of COVID-19 infections hit China, after the world's strictest easing of COVID-19 restrictions, including testing, from this month overwhelmed hospitals and health installations in the country. The local authorities' decision to stop publishing COVID-19 data has left a number of countries worried.

"This is still being studied and its development monitored," said Head of Public Relations of the Ministry of Health, dr. Siti Nadia Tarmizi when confirmed by VOI, Wednesday, December 28.

"The assessment was carried out by the Ministry of Health together with epidemiologists. It will be discussed later with the relevant cross-sectors," he explained.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, so far China is still restricting foreign travel for its people.

"I have checked with the Indonesian Embassy in Beijing, for the RRT there are still restrictions on travel abroad by the government, so there are no tourists from the RRT who go abroad," explained Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Teuku Faizasyah via text message.

Separately, several governments are considering terms of extra travel for Chinese visitors, related to the conditions that occur in the Bamboo Curtain Country.

Head of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has expressed concern about a spike in the number of infections in China and called for more information to be revealed.

The US government is considering imposing new COVID-19 rules for travelers from China, officials said, citing concerns over virus-related data released by the Chinese government.

"There are growing concerns in the international community about the ongoing surge in COVID-19 in China and a lack of transparent data, including data on the genomic sequence of the virus, reported from the RRT," officials said in a statement late Tuesday, as reported by CNBC.

"Without this data, it is increasingly difficult for public health officials to ensure that they will be able to identify potential new variants and take quick steps to reduce their spread," the officials said.

In Japan, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said the country would temporarily tighten border controls against travelers from China starting this weekend.

Starting Friday, Japan will require all travelers from mainland China and those visiting it within seven days to carry out a COVID-19 test upon arrival, PM Kishida told reporters, citing Kyodo News.

To ensure comprehensive testing, the government said it would limit departures and arrivals of direct flights connecting Japan with mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau to four airports - Narita, Haneda, Kansai and Chubu - and asked airlines not to upgrade such flights.

In addition to the four main airports, the government requested that Cathay Pacific Airlines Ltd., Hong Kong Airlines Ltd., and Hong Kong Express Airways Ltd. stop their flights connecting Hong Kong with Sapporo, Fukuoka and Naha starting Friday.

India and Taiwan will also require negative COVID tests for travelers from mainland China, while the Philippines is considering imposing tests, as quoted by Reuters.

It is known, Chinese authorities estimate 250 of its citizens contracted COVID-19 during the December 1-20 period or about 18 percent of the population, with China's Deputy Director of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) Sun Yang saying on Monday, the spread of infection continues to spread, reported Antara.

China, through the National Health Commission (NHC), announced the termination of the daily publication of COVID-19 case data starting last Sunday.