Covid-19: National Party backs moves to impose pre-travel testing on Chinese travellers

National Party leader Christopher Luxon. Photo / Mike Scott

National Party leader Christopher Luxon is backing any potential move to reintroduce mandatory Covid-19 testing for travellers from China, amid the latest outbreak of the deadly virus.

Luxon told Newstalk ZB that although they were not party to the official health advice being given to the Government, it was “obvious” New Zealand would follow other countries who have reintroduced travel restrictions on Chinese travellers.

“I think when you look at what other countries have actioned in the last 24 to 48 hours, that it’s quite sensible for us to be putting some risk mitigation in place.

“I presume that we’ll expect to hear that we’ll be aligned with Australia by the end of the day today with Stuart Nash, as the Duty Minister making that decision.”

The US, Canada, Taiwan, Britain, Japan and South Korea have already made similar policies for people entering their borders from China.

Australia yesterday became the latest country to announce it would be introducing mandatory testing of people coming from the East Asian country due to what it described as a rapidly developing situation.

Australian health minister Mark Butler said its Government had made the decision amid the absence of comprehensive information about the Covid situation in China.

In recent weeks, harrowing images out of China have shed a light on what the reality is on the ground - hospitals filled with sick people lying on floors due to lack of beds available; as well as overwhelmed funeral homes.

“The Australian government shares the concerns expressed by a number of governments and particularly the World Health Organisation,” he said.

“Out of an abundance of caution, travellers from China will need to provide a negative test before their flight. The [WHO] has described such measures as understandable.”

The advice from the country’s chief health officer, Butler said, was that the dominant strain in China is now the Omicron subvariant BF.7. The subvariant is thought to be in Australia already and has been so for several months.

The new rule is effective from Thursday.

Although Australia has reintroduced the rule for Chinese travellers, Australian officials stressed that the country was still in a good position in the fight against Covid.

Luxon acknowledged that pre-travel rapid antigen testing, at least, would suffice and that he was sure the NZ Government would do the right thing.

Asked what he would do in this situation, he said he would be following the official health advice being offered by the experts.

“I’d follow the advice...as much as possible. Because I think it’s really important that you really take the advice from the officials and the experts who are really living in that world - that really understand it deeply and are expert at it.

“That’s what we should always be doing - a science-based approach, evidence-based and take the assessment from the experts.”

- additional reporting: News.com.au