An RT-PCR test has been made mandatory for flyers coming from China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Thailand from January 1, 2023.

The new U.S. travel precautions have been prompted in part by concerns over the lack of genomic sequencing data that could help identify the emergence of a new variant.

Philippine Transport Secretary Jaime Bautista said he’s in favor of imposing COVID measures including testing on inbound travelers from China, amid a rapid rise in infections in the mainland.