If You Want to Visit Your Hometown, You Must Undergo an Anal Exam in China... "I'd Rather Not Go"

The photo shows medical staff in Qingdao, China, collecting samples with swabs. Photo by Yonhap News.

[Asia Economy Reporter Nahana] According to Hong Kong's Apple Daily, some citizens in certain regions of China are giving up on going to their hometowns during the Lunar New Year holiday after the introduction of anal testing for COVID-19 screening. They would rather not go home than undergo the humiliating test.

According to the Chinese government, travelers intending to visit their hometowns during the Spring Festival (Lunar New Year) holiday must possess a certificate proving a negative nucleic acid test result taken within 7 days before departure.

According to the state-run Global Times, anal testing is targeted at high-risk groups such as confirmed cases and close contacts in certain areas including Beijing and Qingdao in Shandong Province.

Bloomberg reported that at a school in Beijing where COVID-19 cases were confirmed, 1,000 staff and students underwent not only serological antibody and nasal tests but also anal swab tests.

Anal testing was introduced based on the reasoning that coronavirus remains longer in samples taken from the digestive tract and excrement than from the respiratory tract (3-5 days). Infectious disease specialist Li Tongzheng claimed in an interview with China Central (CC) TV that "performing anal swab tests can increase accuracy."

However, Bloomberg reported that "there is no evidence that virus transmission is more common among patients who test positive in the anal area."

Among those who have experienced anal testing, many responded that "it is not harmful, but very humiliating." The test involves inserting the swab tip about 3-5 cm into the anus and gently rotating it several times.

Meanwhile, a video recently posted on Weibo showed children waddling out like penguins after receiving anal tests in Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province.

According to a poll conducted on Weibo, 80% of respondents said they "cannot accept" anal testing, reported The Washington Post (WP).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.