Pre-departure nucleic acid testing for Chinabound travelers essential: Spokesperson.

BEIJING -- A spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry Wang Wenbin reiterated that the pre-departure nucleic acid testing for China-bound travelers has been essential in preventing epidemic importation. However, none of the existing test methods can be 100 percent accurate at the moment. According to the competent authorities, IgM antibody test results are stable, and the passengers' test results can be a lot more accurate if the test methods are combined. That's why, the spokesperson added: 'We now need IgM anti-body testing, too. We tried this in some countries earlier, and the effect was good. Similar measures have been taken by some other countries, too. The epidemic situation overseas is very serious. Every time a passenger traveling to China transits in one more place, he or she will face greater risks of infection. Judging from previous imported cases, many people who had tested negative before traveling got infected later, the number of which accounted for

nearly half of the imported cases. Therefore, an additional test in the transit place is necessary for epidemic prevention and control. At the same time, if you really need to make crossborder trips, we advise you to properly plan your route, always choose direct flights where possible and avoid transfers.' The spokesperson further stated that as the epidemic situation...