Fearing a new wave of the virus, the Italian Ministry of Health has reinstated obligatory coronavirus testing at Italian airports for travelers from China.
It was announced this week by Italian Minister of Health Orazio Schillaci that all visitors from China will be required to undergo coronavirus testing. The measure is “essential to ensure surveillance and detection of any virus variants to protect the Italian population,” Schillaci said.
The daily Il Giornale states that the Ministry is looking at the test findings to see if those traveling from China have been exposed to new coronavirus strains.
The Ministry of Health has stated that “surveillance and prevention, through sequencing, are vital” to quickly discover any novel variations that may cause worry but are not already circulating in Italy.
Since the European Commission has announced its readiness to adopt an “emergency brake” that would reinstate travel restrictions within the union, Minister Schillaci has also been in contact with other Health Ministers within the European Union to explore the problem.
Lombardy Region Welfare Councillor Guido Bertolaso has stated that as many as half of the Chinese passengers on two recent flights to Milan’s Malpensa airport tested positive for the coronavirus, saying, “It is advisable to avoid coming to China. Italy is undoubtedly the world’s most stunning nation, and I highly recommend vacationing there.
The United States, like Italy, is considering implementing obligatory testing for Chinese newcomers.
In reaction to the potential additional limitations, Wang Wenbin, a China’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, said that Western countries were “distorting” China’s previous policy revisions regarding the virus and instead demanded “science-based and appropriate” actions.
There were a disproportionately high number of deaths caused by the coronavirus in Italy compared to other European nations in the first few months of the epidemic. According to WHO statistics, 183,138 individuals have died from the virus since 2020. (WHO).