People at Heathrow Airport after arriving on a flight from Shanghai. Getty
People at Heathrow Airport after arriving on a flight from Shanghai. Getty
People at Heathrow Airport after arriving on a flight from Shanghai. Getty
People at Heathrow Airport after arriving on a flight from Shanghai. Getty

UK considers Covid-19 travel restrictions on passengers from China


Laura O'Callaghan
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British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is understood to be considering imposing restrictions on travellers from China amid mounting concerns about the increase in Covid cases.

Ministers are discussing bringing back measures for the first time since all rules were relaxed on March 18.

Spain said on Friday it would require air passengers coming from China to have negative tests or proof of vaccination.

The US, Italy Japan and India are among the countries to have already announced mandatory tests for passengers from China due to a recent surge in infections.

Steve Barclay, the Health Secretary, held a meeting with Sir Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, and Jenny Harries, the chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), to discuss a possible reintroduction of Covid travel rules.

They decided against announcing new rules, but ministers did not rule out a return of measures.

China is preparing to open up its borders in January and issue passports and visas, despite a surge in Covid-19 infections.

About 5,000 new cases have been recorded in China each day, but analysts say the daily count could be closer to one million.

Steve Brine, chairman of the House of Commons health committee, has accused China of refusing to reveal the extent of the outbreak in the country.

"We know their data is withheld and unreliable," he said.

The resurgence of Covid has hit hospitals in China hard and left people struggling to find basic medical supplies.

China’s plan to allow citizens to travel abroad again has caused concern among some governments and led to restrictions being imposed.

Covid in China latest - in pictures

  • People stand outside a funeral home in Shanghai, as cases of Covid-19 surge in China. Reuters
    People stand outside a funeral home in Shanghai, as cases of Covid-19 surge in China. Reuters
  • Relatives burn paper offerings for a relative who died, at the Gaobeidian Funeral Home in northern China's Hebei province. AP
    Relatives burn paper offerings for a relative who died, at the Gaobeidian Funeral Home in northern China's Hebei province. AP
  • A worker disinfects a bed in the emergency department of a hospital in Baigou, Hebei province. AP
    A worker disinfects a bed in the emergency department of a hospital in Baigou, Hebei province. AP
  • Cities across the country have struggled to cope as the surge in cases has emptied pharmacy shelves, filled hospital wards and appeared to cause backlogs at crematoriums and funeral homes. AP
    Cities across the country have struggled to cope as the surge in cases has emptied pharmacy shelves, filled hospital wards and appeared to cause backlogs at crematoriums and funeral homes. AP
  • It comes after China dismantled key pillars of its zero-Covid strategy. AP
    It comes after China dismantled key pillars of its zero-Covid strategy. AP
  • Authorities have lifted snap lockdowns, lengthy quarantines and travel curbs in a reversal of the country's hallmark containment strategy. Reuters
    Authorities have lifted snap lockdowns, lengthy quarantines and travel curbs in a reversal of the country's hallmark containment strategy. Reuters
  • Relatives attend to a patient. AP
    Relatives attend to a patient. AP
  • People wait outside a fever clinic at a hospital in Shanghai. Reuters
    People wait outside a fever clinic at a hospital in Shanghai. Reuters

A spokesman for Mr Sunak’s government said: “We are keeping the situation under review and UKHSA is monitoring the public health situation.

“At the moment there are no plans to introduce any new Covid 19 testing for arrivals.”

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said on Thursday that the government would “review whether different countries with Covid outbreaks etc should obviously face difference restrictions”.

The position of the UK is similar to the line taken by the EU.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control on Thursday said “screenings and travel measures on travellers from China [were] unjustified”, as potential imported infections were “rather low” compared with the numbers already circulating on a daily basis.

It also said that healthcare systems “are currently able to manage” Europe's caseload.

But a leading immunologist in the UK has said screening travellers from China for Covid is unlikely to prevent new variants reaching Britain.

Prof Andrew Pollard, chairman of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, expressed doubt that testing could prove effective in stopping variants reaching the countries.

“Trying to ban a virus by adjusting what we do with travel has already been shown not to work very well,” he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.

“We have seen that with the bans on travel from various countries during the pandemic.

“The important thing is that we have surveillance that when a virus is spreading within our population here in the UK or Europe we are able to pick that up and predict what might happen with the health systems and particularly the more vulnerable in the population.”

Minister of State for Health Will Quince said the biggest threat came from the potential for the emergence of new variants.

All you need to know about Formula E in Saudi Arabia

What The Saudia Ad Diriyah E-Prix

When Saturday

Where Diriyah in Saudi Arabia

What time Qualifying takes place from 11.50am UAE time through until the Super Pole session, which is due to end at 12.55pm. The race, which will last for 45 minutes, starts at 4.05pm.

Who is competing There are 22 drivers, from 11 teams, on the grid, with each vehicle run solely on electronic power.

Salah in numbers

€39 million: Liverpool agreed a fee, including add-ons, in the region of 39m (nearly Dh176m) to sign Salah from Roma last year. The exchange rate at the time meant that cost the Reds £34.3m - a bargain given his performances since.

13: The 25-year-old player was not a complete stranger to the Premier League when he arrived at Liverpool this summer. However, during his previous stint at Chelsea, he made just 13 Premier League appearances, seven of which were off the bench, and scored only twice.

57: It was in the 57th minute of his Liverpool bow when Salah opened his account for the Reds in the 3-3 draw with Watford back in August. The Egyptian prodded the ball over the line from close range after latching onto Roberto Firmino's attempted lob.

7: Salah's best scoring streak of the season occurred between an FA Cup tie against West Brom on January 27 and a Premier League win over Newcastle on March 3. He scored for seven games running in all competitions and struck twice against Tottenham.

3: This season Salah became the first player in Premier League history to win the player of the month award three times during a term. He was voted as the division's best player in November, February and March.

40: Salah joined Roger Hunt and Ian Rush as the only players in Liverpool's history to have scored 40 times in a single season when he headed home against Bournemouth at Anfield earlier this month.

30: The goal against Bournemouth ensured the Egyptian achieved another milestone in becoming the first African player to score 30 times across one Premier League campaign.

8: As well as his fine form in England, Salah has also scored eight times in the tournament phase of this season's Champions League. Only Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo, with 15 to his credit, has found the net more often in the group stages and knockout rounds of Europe's premier club competition.

Tips for newlyweds to better manage finances

All couples are unique and have to create a financial blueprint that is most suitable for their relationship, says Vijay Valecha, chief investment officer at Century Financial. He offers his top five tips for couples to better manage their finances.

Discuss your assets and debts: When married, it’s important to understand each other’s personal financial situation. It’s necessary to know upfront what each party brings to the table, as debts and assets affect spending habits and joint loan qualifications. Discussing all aspects of their finances as a couple prevents anyone from being blindsided later.

Decide on the financial/saving goals: Spouses should independently list their top goals and share their lists with one another to shape a joint plan. Writing down clear goals will help them determine how much to save each month, how much to put aside for short-term goals, and how they will reach their long-term financial goals.

Set a budget: A budget can keep the couple be mindful of their income and expenses. With a monthly budget, couples will know exactly how much they can spend in a category each month, how much they have to work with and what spending areas need to be evaluated.

Decide who manages what: When it comes to handling finances, it’s a good idea to decide who manages what. For example, one person might take on the day-to-day bills, while the other tackles long-term investments and retirement plans.

Money date nights: Talking about money should be a healthy, ongoing conversation and couples should not wait for something to go wrong. They should set time aside every month to talk about future financial decisions and see the progress they’ve made together towards accomplishing their goals.

Winners

Ballon d’Or (Men’s)
Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain / France)

Ballon d’Or Féminin (Women’s)
Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona / Spain)

Kopa Trophy (Best player under 21 – Men’s)
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona / Spain)

Best Young Women’s Player
Vicky López (Barcelona / Spain)

Yashin Trophy (Best Goalkeeper – Men’s)
Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City / Italy)

Best Women’s Goalkeeper
Hannah Hampton (England / Aston Villa and Chelsea)

Men’s Coach of the Year
Luis Enrique (Paris Saint-Germain)

Women’s Coach of the Year
Sarina Wiegman (England)

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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%3Cp%3EFly%20with%20Etihad%20Airways%20from%20Abu%20Dhabi%20to%20New%20York%E2%80%99s%20JFK.%20There's%2011%20flights%20a%20week%20and%20economy%20fares%20start%20at%20around%20Dh5%2C000.%3Cbr%3EStay%20at%20The%20Mark%20Hotel%20on%20the%20city%E2%80%99s%20Upper%20East%20Side.%20Overnight%20stays%20start%20from%20%241395%20per%20night.%3Cbr%3EVisit%20NYC%20Go%2C%20the%20official%20destination%20resource%20for%20New%20York%20City%20for%20all%20the%20latest%20events%2C%20activites%20and%20openings.%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Election pledges on migration

CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections" 

SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom" 

How Islam's view of posthumous transplant surgery changed

Transplants from the deceased have been carried out in hospitals across the globe for decades, but in some countries in the Middle East, including the UAE, the practise was banned until relatively recently.

Opinion has been divided as to whether organ donations from a deceased person is permissible in Islam.

The body is viewed as sacred, during and after death, thus prohibiting cremation and tattoos.

One school of thought viewed the removal of organs after death as equally impermissible.

That view has largely changed, and among scholars and indeed many in society, to be seen as permissible to save another life.

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

Race results:

1. Thani Al Qemzi (UAE) Team Abu Dhabi: 46.44 min

2. Peter Morin (FRA) CTIC F1 Shenzhen China Team: 0.91sec

3. Sami Selio (FIN) Mad-Croc Baba Racing Team: 31.43sec

Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.

Based: Riyadh

Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany

Founded: September, 2020

Number of employees: 70

Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions

Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds  

Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices

EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS

Estijaba – 8001717 –  number to call to request coronavirus testing

Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111

Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre

Emirates airline – 600555555

Etihad Airways – 600555666

Ambulance – 998

Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries

Updated: December 30, 2022, 12:34 PM