Finland to ask China travelers for negative COVID-19 tests

Finland will require people coming from China to submit a negative COVID-19 test, a minister said on Friday.

Family and Basic Services Minister Krista Kiuru said there is an urgent need for measures as data coming in from China is "quite shocking," local media reported.

She said the steps are being taken following the EU's recommendation for member states to take a "coordinated precautionary approach."

Passengers and personnel on all flights to and from China will also be required to wear masks.

Flag carrier Finnair "already requires the use of masks and the same is expected from other flight operators," Kiuru told local media outlet HS.

The test must be taken no more than 48 hours before the flight and will be checked by the airlines before boarding, the report said.

Several countries, among them the U.S., UK, Canada, Australia, Japan, Italy, and Spain, have imposed tougher curbs for passengers arriving from China, which is facing an explosive spike in infections after dumping its strict "zero-COVID" policy this month.

Earlier this week, the EU said all members states have been "strongly encouraged" to introduce the testing requirement for all passengers departing from China.

Kiuru also emphasized the need to act "on a common EU front," the report said.

The urgency, she said, is due to the large number of infections being detected among passengers arriving in the EU from China.

As a third measure, Finland will start taking samples of aircraft wastewater, the minister added.