Berlin, 5 January 2023 (dpa/MIA) – Germany will introduce compulsory coronavirus testing for people entering from China because of the wave of infections there, Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said on Thursday.

The Social Democrat politician said that German entry regulations would be changed in the short term and that travellers from China would in future need at least one negative rapid antigen test when entering Germany.

Germany is joining other countries imposing stricter health regulations on arrivals from China after a surge in infections followed the Beijing government’s reversal of its strict zero-Covid policy.

Belgium and Sweden announced earlier Thursday that they are introducing mandatory Covid testing for travellers from China after a meeting of health experts in Brussels strongly encouraged member states to do so late Wednesday.

Britain, France, Italy, South Korea and the United States are among those that have announced extra travel requirements for visitors from China.