HIV positive travelers may now enter China after that nation's government finally lifted a 20-year long ban. A World AIDS Day red ribbon banner at Beijing's Olympic Stadium The the announcement of the lifting of the ban comes just as the city of Shanghai opens the Shanghai Expo, a worlds fair which aims to attract millions of overseas visitors. The necessary law amendments were apparently formally passed by China's Cabinet early last week, affecting the Border Quarantine law and the Law on Control of the Entry and Exit of Aliens. United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has lauded the law change. “I commend President Hu Jintao for China’s decision to remove travel restrictions based on HIV status,” said Mr. Ban. “Punitive policies and practices only hamper the global AIDS response. I urge all other countries with such restrictions to remove them as a matter of priority and urgency.” The USA and South Korea have only recently removed their bans. China has only in recent years acknowledged that it has a significant domestic HIV epidemic and has been slow to institute prevention and education programmes.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Thursday, 29th April 2010 - 7:36pm