Questions on epidemic containment
2020-11-09 22:42
Beijing Daily: I have three questions on epidemic containment. First, can you tell us the considerations behind the recent notices published by Chinese embassies that require stricter measures on passengers taking international flights to China? Second, among all the recent measures people are especially focusing on the requirement of "certificates of negative nucleic acid and IgM anti-body test results". Can you tell us if there are some specific considerations? Third, people are also following the requirement that travelers going to China via connecting flights will need to take extra tests. Could you tell us why this is necessary?
On your second question, the pre-departure nucleic acid testing for China-bound travelers has been essential in preventing epidemic importation. However, none of the existing test methods can be 100 percent accurate at the moment. According to the competent authorities, IgM anti-body test results are stable, and the passengers' test results can be a lot more accurate if the test methods are combined. That's why we now need IgM anti-body testing, too. We tried this in some countries earlier, and the effect was good. As I know, similar measures have been taken by some other countries, too.