When is imposing a pre-flight Covid test requirement on travellers from China against medical advice not a breach of a commitment to follow that advice? When it’s done out of an “abundance of caution”, enough other countries are doing it and it might help squeeze China for more information about its Covid outbreak, apparently. Those were the explanations the health minister, Mark Butler, offered throughout the week. Although the requirement itself for a negative Covid test in the 48 hours prior to departure may not be onerous, it was still…
Tag: Mark Butler
Australian health minister suggests pre-flight China tests designed to make Beijing share more data on Covid outbreak
Australia’s health minister says he wants pre-flight Covid testing for travellers from China to be “temporary”, suggesting the requirement could be lifted if Beijing shares more information about its outbreak. Mark Butler suggested on Thursday – the first day of the new testing regime – that the measure was put in place as part of an international push for China to provide real-time data on the genomic sequencing of Covid cases. The Australian government’s response drew criticism from the Coalition opposition for departing from health advice, while China’s warning of…
Labor flags wastewater tests on inbound planes as mandatory Covid checks for China arrivals resumes
Australia is planning to introduce wastewater testing for incoming flights in an attempt to gather more information about the possible entry of new Covid variants. The health minister, Mark Butler, announced the measure on Monday in a round of interviews defending the decision to reimpose pre-flight Covid testing for passengers from China as necessary because of a “absence of comprehensive information” about the disease in China. The announcement on Sunday has already prompted calls to expand pre-flight testing, with the independent MP Monique Ryan questioning if it was now “time…
Australia imposes mandatory Covid tests for travellers from China amid fears of diplomatic backlash
Australia will impose mandatory Covid-19 testing for travellers arriving from China after a spike in cases in the tourism and business market. The Australian health minister, Mark Butler, announced on Sunday that travellers from China would need to take a Covid test within the 48 hours before travel and show evidence of a negative result before entering Australia, starting from 5 January. He cited the “lack of comprehensive information” Beijing was providing to the international community about the outbreak gripping the nation of 1.4 billion people. “The decision to implement…