Canberra: Canada is looking to temporarily mandate that travelers arriving from China, Hong Kong and Macao must first test negative for COVID-19.

The federal government announced in a news release on Saturday that the rule will take effect on January 5 for all travelers from the three countries who are two years of age or older.

"These anticipated health measures will apply to all air travelers regardless of nationality and vaccination status," according to the release. They are temporary measures that will be reviewed after 30 days as new information and evidence become available.

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As a result of Beijing's rapid easing of COVID-19 restrictions and a surge in cases, the United States announced on Wednesday that it would require all travelers from China to present a negative COVID-19 test result before flying into the country.

The People's Republic of China has seen an increase in COVID-19 cases, and the Canadian government said its new testing policy "is in response to this increase and given the limited epidemiological and viral genomic sequence data on these cases."

Before boarding a flight to Canada, passengers must present to the airline a negative COVID-19 test result that was obtained two days prior to their departure.

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According to the press release, testing can be either molecular, such as a PCR test, or antigen testing from a telehealth service, an accredited laboratory, or a testing provider.

Passengers may instead present the airline with proof of their positive test result if they tested positive more than 10 days, but not more than 90 days, prior to the departure of their flight.

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In a statement, federal health minister Jean-Yves Duclos said, "From the outset, our government has taken the necessary steps to keep Canadians safe in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic." "Conscience remains the driving force behind our actions, and we will not hold back when it comes to making adjustments to protect the health and safety of Canadians."