The Chinese embassy in the United States has updated guidelines for China-bound travelers whose IgM test results are positive due to COVID-19 vaccines. Some media reports said that's a sign that China is now recognizing foreign vaccines and relaxing entry policy. Is it true?
Last week, the Chinese Embassy in the U.S. and the Consulate General in the LA have issued notice on the testing requirements for China-bound passengers after inoculated with COVID-19 vaccines.
According to the notice, the embassy has further adjusted regulations for travelers who test positive for IgM antibodies due to vaccination. Let's check the requirements!
Updates on Testing Requirements
For passengers who have received non-inactivated vaccines
If the nucleic acid test result is negative and the IgM antibody test result is positive due to inoculation of China-made vaccine, the applicant can apply for the health code following normal procedures.
Please download the Statement of COVID-19 Vaccination or the Letter of Commitment on COVID-19 Vaccination, fill it out truthfully, sign in and upload it together with the "dual-tests" certificates and vaccination certificates through the application website.
Here are the websites for downloading the statement (疫苗接种声明书):
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Letter of Commitment on COVID-19 Vaccination (issued by the Chinese Embassy in the US.)
http://www.china-embassy.org/eng/visas/zyxx/P020210421787870030822.pdf
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Statement of COVID-19 Vaccination (issued by the Chinese Consulates General in Los Angeles)
http://losangeles.china-consulate.org/chn/lbyj/P020210421122155142569.pdf
For passengers who have received non-inactivated vaccines
a. Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are all non-inactivated vaccines. Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require two doses, and Johnson & Johnson vaccine needs one dose.
If passengers choose to be vaccinated, they must get all the required shots before their trip to China.
b. Positive IgM test results may occur after vaccination. In order to distinguish between vaccination and infection, passengers who have been inoculated of the non-inactivated vaccine and tested positive for IgM antibodies are advised to submit the following documents:
A report of the IgM antibody test against nucleocapsid (N) protein
Letter of Commitment on COVID-19 Vaccination / Statement of COVID-19 Vaccination
Vaccination certificate
Air ticket or itinerary
Results for nucleic acid test and IgM antibody test
The requirements may be a little bit different between the embassy and the consulate general, please check the latest detailed regulations on their official websites.
How about the Entry Policy?
China has provided facilitation for visa applicants who have been inoculated with China-made COVID-19 vaccines. Some documents are no longer required for the application.
After the notices were issued, we see some media reports say that China has begun accepting non-Chinese vaccines and will ease the entry policy for international travelers.
However, as the notice says, the regulations have been set for China-bound passengers' tests and health code application. These measures would not affect the adjustment of entry policy and quarantine measures.
We will keep following the updates on the latest Chinese visa policies and quarantine measures. Stay tuned!
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SOURCE | Chinese embassy / Global Times
