Spain will require all air passengers coming from China to have negative Covid-19 tests or proof of vaccination.

Health minister Carolina Darias told reporters on Friday that Spain would be pushing for similar measures at a European level following the surge in cases in China. She said coronavirus health controls would be stepped up at Spanish airports.

She did not specify when the new requirement will take effect.

Spain made the announcement after Italy said it would require coronavirus tests for airline passengers from China. Health officials from the 27-member European Union on Thursday promised to continue talks on seeking a common approach but held back from imposing restrictions.

“There exists a shared concern internationally and nationally over the evolution of cases in China and the difficulty to make a correct evaluation of the Covid-19 situation given the scant information that we have available,” Ms Darias said.

She noted that China would be lifting travel restrictions from January 8 and there was likely to be a major increase in people travelling abroad. She said the chief concern was the possible emergence of new coronavirus variants and it was important to act fast.

The United States announced new Covid-19 testing requirements on Wednesday for travellers from China, joining some Asian nations that had imposed restrictions.

Japan on Friday started requiring tests for passengers arriving from China.