Switzerland said on Friday it was not planning to tighten entry restrictions on travellers from China despite a surge in Covid-19 cases following Beijing's decision to drop its curbs on foreign travel.

Switzerland's neighbours France and Italy require a negative Covid test for all visitors from mainland China, in a bid to avoid importing new variants from the Asian giant.

Israel, Spain and South Korea on Friday also joined the lengthening list of nations including India, Japan and the United States in imposing Covid tests on travellers from China.

"It is not currently necessary to provide proof of vaccination, recovery from Covid-19 or a (negative) test to enter Switzerland," a Swiss health ministry spokesman told AFP.

"There are no plans for the moment to introduce health measures at the border either," he said.

The European Union's infectious disease agency (ECDC) said on Thursday it believed introducing mandatory Covid screenings for travellers from China was "unjustified".

Germany said it did not currently see the need to impose entry restrictions either, but argued for a coordinated EU-wide system to monitor variants at European airports.

Switzerland is not in the EU but is surrounded by nations who are members of the bloc and is in Europe's Schengen open-borders zone. Bern plans to work with Brussels on any future moves.

"Switzerland is working closely with the EU and European countries to manage the Covid-19 crisis and will continue to do so.

"Switzerland will coordinate further action with its EU partners if need be," the health ministry spokesman said.

Israel to require Covid tests for foreign arrivals from China: ministry
Jerusalem (AFP) Dec 30, 2022 - The Israeli health ministry said Friday it will impose Covid tests on foreigners intending to travel from China, where coronavirus cases have surged.

"It was decided to order that foreign airlines only accept foreign citizens on a flight from China to Israel if they have tested (negative) for Covid," Health Minister Aryeh Deri said in a statement.

The minister, part of a new government sworn in on Thursday, urged Israelis to avoid travel to China. He said a screening centre would be opened to test arrivals who volunteered.

Coronavirus infections have surged in China, overwhelming hospitals as it unwinds hardline controls that torpedoed the economy and sparked nationwide protests.

A growing number of countries, including the United States, have imposed restrictions on all visitors from mainland China after Beijing decided to end mandatory quarantine on arrival, prompting many jubilant Chinese to make plans to travel abroad.

But the European Union's health agency said Thursday such restrictions weren't warranted in the bloc.

Chinese citizens have been largely confined to their country since Beijing pulled up the drawbridge in March 2020.

Spain imposes Covid tests for China arrivals
Madrid, Spain (AFP) Dec 31, 2022 - Passengers arriving at Spanish airports from China will be screened for Covid starting Saturday, authorities said, following an explosion of cases in China.

The measure will remain in place until at least February 15, Spain's health ministry said in a statement, with travellers arriving from China required to undergo a temperature check and a Covid-19 test.

"A major concern lies in the possibility of new variants appearing in China that have not been controlled," Spanish health minister Carolina Darias told a press conference on Friday.

"Given the health situation in that country, we know the importance of acting with coordination, but also the importance of acting quickly."

The first flight from China that will be affected by the new rules is scheduled to arrive at Madrid airport on Saturday at 6 pm (1700 GMT), the ministry's statement said.

Coronavirus infections have surged in China, overwhelming hospitals as the country unwinds hardline controls that torpedoed the economy and sparked nationwide protests.

A growing number of countries, including the United States, have imposed restrictions on all visitors from mainland China after Beijing decided to end mandatory quarantine on arrival, prompting many jubilant Chinese to make plans to travel abroad.

But the European Union's health agency said Thursday that such restrictions weren't warranted in the bloc.

Chinese citizens have been largely confined to their country since Beijing pulled up the drawbridge in March 2020

But Darias said China was set to lift its travel restrictions on January 8, which would likely cause a "significant" rise in people travelling abroad.

In 2019, around 700,000 tourists with Chinese residency visited Spain, according to Spain's tourism ministry.

That figure dropped sharply to about 130,000 in 2020 and 30,000 in 2021, according to the Spanish statistics institute.

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