China has made anal COVID-19 swabs mandatory for all foreign travelers arriving in the country, a report said Wednesday.
The government has claimed that such tests offer higher accuracy than other screening methods for the virus, the Times UK reported.
As part of the new travel requirement, hubs will be tested at Beijing and Shanghai airports.
Li Tongzeng, a physician for respiratory diseases, said the anal swabs are better because virus spores stay longer in fecal samples than in the nose or throat, the media reported.
The move follows after Japan asked China to stop conducting the exams to its citizens when they enter the country because the swindlers are causing mental anxiety.
“Some Japanese reported to our embassy in China that they had received anal swab tests, which caused a lot of psychological pain,” Katsunobu Kato, Japan’s general secretary, told a news conference.
However, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin defended the show as “scientific”.
The tests are “in line with the changes in the epidemic situation as well as applicable laws and regulations,” he said.