COVID restrictions on Chinese travelers unnecessary: Danish health authorities

Photo taken on Oct. 11, 2021 shows "The Infinite Bridge" in Aarhus, Denmark. (Xinhua/Zhang Cheng)

To help prevent infection, free antigen testing is being offered to those arriving in Denmark on direct flights from China.

COPENHAGEN, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Restrictions on Chinese travelers entering Denmark are unnecessary, the Danish Health Ministry said on Monday.

"There is no binding requirement for testing before entering Denmark from China," the Ministry said following an assessment of potential COVID-19 measures.

To help prevent infection, free antigen testing is being offered to those arriving in Denmark on direct flights from China.

Passengers queue up to go through entry procedures at Shanghai Pudong International Airport in east China's Shanghai, Jan. 8, 2023. (Xinhua/Ding Ting)

The Danish Epidemic Commission said on Monday that there is currently "no significant risk of COVID-19 spreading from China to Denmark, or significant risk of the introduction of new virus variants, as there is high population immunity in Denmark."

An earlier assessment by the Statens Serum Institut (SSI), the Danish national center for the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases, came to the same conclusion.

Tourists visit Great Tang All Day Mall in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Dec. 30, 2022. (Photo by Zou Jingyi/Xinhua)

Danish Minister of Interior and Health Sophie Lohde is expected to provide an updated report at a meeting with members of the Epidemic Committee in the Parliament on Tuesday.

"The government will follow the recommendations of the SSI and the Epidemic Commission," Lohde said.