Washington:  the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will stop requiring COVID-19 tests for Chinese travelers on Friday, joining other nations that have already done away with the requirement.

The requirement that everyone undergo a virus test upon arrival from China was abandoned by Japan last week. According to the source, Reuters, the United States will keep an eye on cases in China and other countries. 

The Washington Post first reported on the US decision. Requests for comment from the CDC did not immediately receive a response.

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joined other nations in adopting fresh measures in response to Beijing's decision to lift strict zero-COVID policies, including India, Canada, Italy, Japan, and others. 

It was necessary for new air travelers age 2 and up to receive a negative test result no later than two days prior to departure from China, Hong Kong, or Macao.

After abruptly abandoning its zero-COVID policy in early December, China was hammered by an increase in COVID-19 cases, which spread the virus to its 1.4 billion people. 

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China's top leaders declared a "major victory" against COVID in February, claiming that their country had the lowest fatality rate in the world, but experts have disputed those claims. In December, the United States added Seattle and Los Angeles to its voluntary genomic sequencing program at airports.

The Traveler-based Genomic Surveillance Program (TGS), which asks travelers to volunteer to help with early detection of new variants, will continue.

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According to the source, TGS will continue to keep an eye on flights coming from more than 30 other nations as well as flights from China and regional transportation hubs.