China Lifts Travel Ban Against HIV/AIDS Foreigners

China has lifted a two-decade ban on travel to the country by people who carry the virus that causes AIDS or who have other sexually transmitted diseases.

Photo: China Lifts Travel Ban Against HIV/AIDS Foreigners

The action also removed a longstanding ban on travel to China by people with leprosy, New York Times reports.

China has recently lifted a 20-year ban on foreigners entering the country that are either H.I.V. positive or have other sexually transmitted diseases.

The amendments to the laws, established in 1989, regulating the entry of foreigners into China, which also removes the ban on those with leprosy, were announced by China’s State Council via its website on Tuesday.

Although China’s H.I.V. rate is significantly lower than neighboring countries such as Vietnam, reportedly as many as half a million people in China are infected with the virus, and approximately 75,000 of those have developed AIDS.

Despite China’s new found leniency towards the admittance of sick foreigners, it is still determined to keep certain people out for the sake of China’s public health.

The ban still applies to those with tuberculosis, mental disorders, and "infectious diseases which could possibly greatly harm the public health," Seven Sided Cube informs.