New Zealand's government on Wednesday announced that it will not require travelers from China to be tested for COVID-19 upon arrival.
COVID-19 Response Minister Ayesha Verrall stated that there is minimal public health risk to New Zealand and that entry restrictions are not "required or justified."
"Officials have done a public health risk assessment, including working through scenarios of potential case numbers among travellers from China. This confirmed these visitors won't contribute significantly to our Covid case numbers meaning entry restrictions aren't required or justified," the minister added.
Scientists will soon initiate a program to test waste water from international flights for the virus, according to Verrall. It will be implemented in the coming weeks, and upon assessment, may replace the current protocol of voluntary testing of travelers from China.
Several countries, including the United States, Australia, India, and Canada, have required pre-departure testing for travelers from China as a means of controlling the spread of the virus.
The Chinese government has denied allegations that it has intentionally underreported the number of fatalities, and suggested that travel restrictions implemented by other countries are "politically motivated".
The Chinese Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday that it will take "corresponding measures" based on the principle of reciprocity in response to the actions taken by other countries.
China recently announced that it will manage the COVID-19 outbreak using measures for Class-B infectious diseases and has implemented provisional measures for cross-border travel. These decisions come as Beijing experiences a surge in COVID cases in recent weeks.