UK to start random COVID testing for arrivals from China in new ‘surveillance programme'

The United Kingdom’s new surveillance programme is set to test random arrivals from mainland China at airports for COVID-19 in an attempt to monitor and prevent potential contagion of the virus. According to Sky News, the programme, which was formulated by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), starts today to prevent a COVID surge at a time when the country gets plunged into a serious healthcare crisis with overflowing hospitals and overworked staff. 

The UKHSA has said that the programme will see "a sample of passengers arriving in England from mainland China tested for COVID-19 at the point of their arrival.” It also noted that passengers at Heathrow airport would be asked to be a part of the study, with positive samples then being sent for sequencing as per protocol.

"This will further enhance the UK's ability to identify any new variants which may be circulating in China that could evade the immune response of those already vaccinated, or which have the potential to successfully outcompete other variants and spread internationally," it said. 

China reopens borders after scrapping zero-Covid policy

The programme came weeks after China reopened borders and abruptly suspended its long-running zero-COVID policy as protests swamped the COVID-struck nation. As a result of the easing of restrictions, countries across the world have stepped up and put travel curbs in place to evade a potential surge of the virus. Since January 5, the UK has asked people arriving from China to take a COVID-19 test prior to boarding their flights.

In light of China reopening borders, the UK’s Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Steve Barclay said that it was "right for us to take a balanced and precautionary approach by announcing these temporary measures while we assess the data." "This allows our world-leading scientists at the UK Health Security Agency to gain rapid insight into potential new variants circulating in China,” he added.