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Covid measures against China: "a political response"

More countries have imposed covid tests on travellers from China as concerns about the number of infections grows.

More countries have imposed covid tests on travellers from China, as concern over rising infections grow.

On Wednesday, European Union experts strongly encouraged member states to put in place a number of measures for travellers from China, including pre-departure covid tests for travellers from covid. There is though no agreement, yet at least, on an EU-wide policy.

But is this really necessary?

We spoke to Martin McKee - a Professor of European Public Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He told us that these new measures are more of a political response rather than medical one.

He said that although "having testing of waste water is a good idea... some of the other measures do not seem to be particularly logical when there is already very high rates of circulation of covid within Europe. It's not clear who you are actually protecting from all of this".

Professor McKee warned us of another variant in North America which we should currently focus our concerns on.

(Photo: Countries tighten border control amid China's COVID-19 surge. Credit: EPA)

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