China subjects some travelers to anal swabs, angering foreign governments.
China is requiring some travelers arriving from overseas to receive an invasive anal swab test as part of its coronavirus containment measures, a move that has outraged and shocked several foreign governments.
It is not clear how many such swabs have been administered or who is subject to them. Chinese state media has acknowledge that some arrivals to cities including Beijing and Shanghai are required to take the tests, though the reports said the requirements might vary depending on whether the travelers were deemed to be high-risk.
Japanese officials had formally asked China to exempt Japanese citizens from the test, adding that some who had received it complained of “psychological distress.” And the United States State Department last month said it had registered a protest with the Chinese government after some of its diplomats were forced to undergo anal swabs, though Chinese officials denied that.
Source: NYT #Mar05
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/04/world/asia/china-anal-swab-tests.html
#AnalSwabTest #China #TravelToChina #CovidTest
China is requiring some travelers arriving from overseas to receive an invasive anal swab test as part of its coronavirus containment measures, a move that has outraged and shocked several foreign governments.
It is not clear how many such swabs have been administered or who is subject to them. Chinese state media has acknowledge that some arrivals to cities including Beijing and Shanghai are required to take the tests, though the reports said the requirements might vary depending on whether the travelers were deemed to be high-risk.
Japanese officials had formally asked China to exempt Japanese citizens from the test, adding that some who had received it complained of “psychological distress.” And the United States State Department last month said it had registered a protest with the Chinese government after some of its diplomats were forced to undergo anal swabs, though Chinese officials denied that.
Source: NYT #Mar05
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/04/world/asia/china-anal-swab-tests.html
#AnalSwabTest #China #TravelToChina #CovidTest
NY Times
China subjects some travelers to anal swabs, angering foreign governments.
Some experts have questioned the need for the tests, saying that nasal and throat swabs are still the most effective because the coronavirus is contracted through the respiratory tract.