Italy requires Chinese-travellers to pass mandatory Covid tests
By Emilio Parodi
MILAN (Reuters – Italy has ordered COVID-19 virus sequencing and antigen swabs to be performed on all foreigners arriving from China, where there are increasing cases, the minister for health stated Wednesday.
Italy was the first European nation to be struck by the virus, in February 2020, following its appearance in China. It is now the first country to enforce mandatory screening for people who arrive from Asia in the wake of the new wave.
Malpensa airport in Milan had already begun testing passengers arriving from Beijing or Shanghai on Dec. 26 and the results revealed that almost one-third of them were infected.
Minister Orazio Schillaci stated that the measure was essential in order to detect and monitor possible viruses to protect the population of Italy. He also announced mandatory testing for all passengers.
The minister did not specify the measures that would be in place for travellers who have tested positive. However, local health chiefs from the Lombardy area around Milan and Lazio around Rome stated they would quarantine in buildings reserved by the local authorities.
As the COVID-19 wave of Chinese infected resources drained resources, hospitals and funeral homes in China were under extreme pressure Wednesday. Some countries also considered new travel rules for Chinese visitors due to the severity of the disease and doubts regarding official data.
Japan has stated that travellers from mainland China will need to undergo a negative COVID-19 testing upon arrival. Taiwan, however, will only test arrivals from China beginning Jan. 1.
Guido Bertolaso from Lombardy’s Health Chief said that 35 Covid positives were found on the first flight to Malpensa, which tested passengers from China. On Wednesday, Guido Bertolaso stated that 62 of the passengers were positive on the second flight.
He stated that virus sequencing procedures have been activated in order to analyze variants. The results are expected Thursday.
(Reporting by Emilio Parodi. Editing by Gavin Jones & David Gregorio.