Among the latest developments, Beijing has reduced entry visa fees for hundreds of millions of people from over 20 countries over the last two weeks. This policy came during a pneumonia outbreak in China. China’s ruling communist party, CCP, announced it would cut entry visa fees for travelers from a dozen countries. The discount is 25% and was announced on Dec. 8, effective at Chinese embassies and consulates on Dec. 11 and runs through Dec. 31. Among the savings are Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Cambodia, Fiji, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, the Philippines, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam. Earlier, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that it would offer visa-free entry for citizens from six countries. At least 20 nations have been targeted in two weeks by relaxed entry visa policies.
Despite this, the pneumonia outbreak in China has not subsided, mainly affecting children. Apart from China, countries like South Korea, the United States, the Netherlands, Denmark, and France have reported an uptick in pneumonia cases. Some countries like Japan and Taiwan have expressed concern and are urging more information from China. Other leaders worry that this new wave of pneumonia may be the beginning stages of a new COVID-19 pandemic and are considering tests and travel restrictions. The international community is not convinced by the official Chinese reports about the outbreak. Even the World Health Organization is planning to follow up with China concerning the respiratory infections.
The CCP claims a range of different pathogens are responsible, naming multiple respiratory infections. But there continues to be confusion over the severe cases and the lack of a detailed explanation for the increase in severe cases. The mysterious wave of pneumonia is also believed by some to be a resurgence of COVID-19 from previous years, despite the CCP not admitting it is COVID-19. Relatives of those affected say that the symptoms line up with COVID-19, and yet the hospital does not confirm that this is the case.
Additionally, China’s virologist, Shi Zhengli, has published research indicating the possibility of another COVID-19 outbreak. Previously, the Wuhan Institute of Virology was suspicious of accidentally leaking the virus that caused the first outbreak. Despite the apparent resurgence of COVID-19, this has not been officially confirmed by the People’s Republic of China.