China COVID-19 wave: Amid the huge surge of coronavirus in China, nearly half the passengers traveling from Beijing to Milan tested positive for the deadly virus on Monday. Two flights of sick passengers arrived at Malpensa airport from China on Monday, according to a Bloomberg report that said the country has announced mandatory testing for travelers arriving from the East Asian country.
As per reports, out of the 92 passengers, at least 35 reportedly turned out to be positive for the COVID infection. While in another aircraft, 62 out of 120 passengers were found infected with the virus. Citing Guido Bertolasso, the health chief of the Lombardy region, it said passengers who tested positive had been isolated and authorities had stepped up their contact tracing efforts.
Meanwhile, Italy’s Health Minister Orazio Schillaci said that all passengers arriving from China, including transit, would undergo mandatory COVID tests at airports. He underlined that the measures are important to contain the spread of the deadly virus.
The New York Post quoted Schillaci as saying, “The measure is necessary to ensure the surveillance and detection of any spread of the virus is necessary to protect the Italian population.”
China starts issuing passports after three years
Significantly, the latest development comes on the same day that China announced the resumption of passport issuance for tourism. The major move comes nearly three years after the country shut down its operations following a massive COVID wave. Travel service companies Trip.com and Kunar said there has been a five- to eightfold increase in international ticket bookings and searches for visa information on their websites following Tuesday’s announcement, according to the AP. Top destinations included Japan, Thailand, South Korea, the United States, Britain and Australia. Japan, India, Italy, South Korea and Taiwan have responded to the Chinese wave of infections by requiring virus tests for visitors to China. The United States announced on Wednesday that it would require testing of all travelers arriving from China starting January 5.
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