Cindy Jiang ’24
Beginning April 1, passengers from the United States traveling to China will be required to take an additional antigen test on the day before their departure. As the recent COVID-19 situation continues to change within its borders and internationally, Chinese travel restrictions continue to intensify. These reinforced rules will be a new burden to those in the UK and the US who wish to fly into China, as travel becomes more complicated than it already was. Travelers will need to open up their availability to take extra antigen tests while being forced to comply with the high costs of the tests.
However, despite the strict requirements to fly into China, the biggest difficulty for many are the borders closed to foreigners. Many of them, including Chinese citizens without visas, are anxiously waiting for information from China about when the borders will reopen. As I desperately wish for those to unite with their families and friends from back home, I believe the best thing for all of us to do is to be patient with hope that the pandemic will ease.
Most of my family lives there; therefore, I understand the hardships of those who are struggling to return home. Though the government has been taking aggressive and strict measures, they have significantly slowed down and maintained control of the number of cases, especially in comparison to many other countries. Therefore, I stand in support of how the country has chosen to handle the pandemic with their travel restrictions, as the spread of COVID through passengers flying to the country from elsewhere is highly possible, even with proof of negative covid tests.
In the past, there have been countless asymptomatic passengers who unknowingly brought COVID along with them in their travels, and China quickly reacted with effective measures to stop the contagion of potentially affected passengers. The Chinese government is doing what is best for the overall well being of the country, protecting and serving the citizens in a responsible way. I believe China’s continuous efforts to protect the country from any potential COVID outbreaks should be highly appreciated, despite the valid complaints from many people. The country is extremely cautious about the virus and they are doing the best to prevent their citizens from being exposed to the contagious variants. We do not have control over the government-imposed travel restrictions and bans, but we do have control over our attitude towards their decisions. In the long and uncertain wait for China’s travel to lift, let us hope with a positive mindset the pandemic issue ameliorates.