“We can’t stop the spread of #COVID19, but pre-departure testing and the requirement to show a negative test result when flying from China to the U.S. can help slow the spread as we work to identify and understand any potential new variants,” wrote Walensky
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle Walensky is facing criticism and accusations of "xenophobia" after announcing a Covid testing requirement for those traveling from the People's Republic of China to the United States on Wednesday.
The Biden administration's updated travel regulations, which are set to take effect January 5, will require anyone over two years of age who enters the U.S. from China, Hong Kong, or Macau by air to present a negative Covid test taken no more than two days before their departure.
https://rumble.com/embed/v20k3g8/?pub=2n05b
"We can't stop the spread of #COVID19, but pre-departure testing and the requirement to show a negative test result when flying from China to the U.S. can help slow the spread as we work to identify and understand any potential new variants," wrote Walensky on Twitter Friday.
https://twitter.com/cdcdirector/status/1608956958912155648
The decision has come under fire from individuals on both sides of the political aisle, with some calling out the hypocrisy of implementing a policy that former President Donald Trump was called "racist" for, as well as those on the other end of the spectrum criticizing it as stoking anti-Asian sentiment.
"The same people who called President Trump xenophobic for banning travel from China at the outbreak of the pandemic, are barring airline passengers flying from China unless they show a negative COVID test before boarding," said former Republican congressional candidate Shukri Abdirahman.
https://twitter.com/ShuForCongress/status/1608475436995985408
"If Trump MADE THIS CALL it would have been portrayed as RACIST by the entire DEM PARTY and their MEDIA mouthpieces," wrote conservative political strategist Chuck Callesto.
https://twitter.com/ChuckCallesto/status/1607933740252299264
On the other side of the aisle, other health professionals slammed Walensky for her purported "xenophobia."
"You could easily mitigate the spread of COVID and make it safer for all travelers by reinstating the mask mandate for public transportation," wrote public health scientist Dr. Lucky Tran. "Instead, you are choosing an ineffective policy that will only lead to more xenophobia and hate attacks against Asian people in the US."
https://twitter.com/luckytran/status/1608985028436066304
Chen Weihua, a journalist with the Chinese Communist Party-owned newspaper, China Daily, also labeled the policy as "discriminative."
"The Omicron variant that has been spreading in China has spread in the US, Europe and [the] rest of the world for many months. So your 'policy' will be futile and discriminative," he replied to the CDC director's announcement.
https://twitter.com/chenweihua/status/1609110884059648002
In a re-surfaced clip from a March 2021 appearance on MSNBC with host Rachel Maddow, Walensky made the claim that "Vaccinated people do not carry the virus, don't get sick," which is false.
https://twitter.com/TPostMillennial/status/1608928390144204800
Libby’s Desk
Commentary and must-reads from Libby’s desk, straight to your inbox.
TPM Newsletter
The Post Millennial’s top stories, delivered to your inbox.
