The Department of Health says at this stage it is not considering imposing restrictions on those travelling from China-as COVID-19 infections in that country continue to surge.
China dropped its COVID-19 restrictions in December 2022, a move that has led to an increase in new infections in the country.
The IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva praised the decisive steps by China in recalibrating its COVID policies. The new policies are set to gradually revive business activities, &create a better impetus for reigniting growth in China. pic.twitter.com/tQ9I1oEATb
— AmbCHENXiaodong (@ChinaAmbSA) December 21, 2022
Its current rise in COVID-19 infections has caused concerns in several countries, including the United States, Japan, India, Malaysia and Taiwan, resulting in travel restrictions on travellers from China.
The Department’s Deputy Director-General, Doctor Nicholas Crisp, says South Africa has already been exposed to the variants that China is currently experiencing.
“One must take and be very cautious, remember what other countries did to us locking down borders prematurely when they already had the virus in their own countries. We must be very cautious of overreacting. We are not the only country. There are many countries who are saying this is not the route to go and we will be meeting daily to establish exactly what the picture is before we make any decisions on how we are going to react,” says Crisp.
