- Title: China's COVID situation is worrying, says French health minister
- Date: 5th January 2023
- Summary: MILAN, ITALY (RECENT - DECEMBER 29, 2022) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF POSTERS INSIDE MALPENSA AIRPORT READING IN MULTIPLE LANGUAGES ''RAPID ANTIGEN DETECTION TEST'' PASSENGERS QUEUING FOR TEST PASSENGERS ENTERING THE TESTING SITE
- Embargoed: 19th January 2023 10:01
- Keywords: COVID-19 China France coronavirus pandemic restrictions travellers
- Location: PARIS, FRANCE / MILAN, ITALY / SHANGHAI, CHINA
- City: PARIS, FRANCE / MILAN, ITALY / SHANGHAI, CHINA
- Country: France
- Topics: Europe,Health/Medicine
- Reuters ID: LVA003054905012023RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: The situation regarding COVID infections in China is "worrying," the French health minister said on Thursday (January 5) although he added that pressure on France's hospitals regarding COVID was easing.
European Union member states on Wednesday (January 4) agreed to introduce some safety measures with regard to travelers from China, as the bloc's crisis response group recommended that passengers flying to the EU should have a negative COVID-19 test before they board.
“In France, (COVID-19) numbers are currently significantly going down, including in terms of hospitalisations. But what is happening in China is worrying," France's Health Minister Francois Braun told France 2 television.
China defended on Thursday the handling of its raging COVID-19 outbreak after U.S. President Joe Biden voiced concern and the World Health Organisation (WHO) said Beijing was under-reporting virus deaths.
China scrapped its stringent COVID controls last month after protests against them, abandoning a policy that had shielded its 1.4 billion population from the virus for three years.
From Thursday, France will require negative COVID-19 test results from all travellers arriving from China.
Asked about the shortage of paracetamol in France, Braun said his ministry is monitoring the situation closely and that manufacturers are ramping up production to keep up with a 13 percent increase in consumption.
(Production: Ardee Napolitano) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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