OFFICIALS DENY ANAL SWAB TESTS ON U.S. DIPLOMATS

BEIJING China’s foreign ministry denied on Thursday that U.S. diplomats in the country had been required to take anal swab tests for COVID-19, following media reports that some had complained about the procedure.

U.S. media outlet Vice on Wednesday cited a State Department official as saying the test was given in error and that China had said it would stop such tests on U.S. diplomats.

“To my knowledge ... China has never required U.S. diplomatic staff stationed in China to conduct anal swab tests,” spokesman Zhao Lijian told a daily news briefing in Beijing. A State Department representative told Reuters it was “committed to guaranteeing the safety and security of American diplomats and their families, while preserving their dignity.”

Some Chinese cities used samples taken from the anus to detect potential infections amid stepped-up screening ahead of the Lunar New Year holidays.