--- title: "China Is Administering Anal Swabs to Foreign Visitors" description: "International travelers have had to endure something rather humiliating upon entering China at the airport: anal swab tests for COVID-19 as Reuters reports." date: "2021-03-04" modified: "2021-03-04" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/china-administering-anal-swabs-visitors" categories: - "Developments" - "Health & Medicine" tags: - "china" - "coronavirus" - "covid19" --- # China Is Administering Anal Swabs to Foreign Visitors ![International travelers have had to endure something rather humiliating upon entering China at the airport: anal swab tests for COVID-19 as Reuters reports.]() *\Image: Victor Tangermann\* International travelers have had to endure something humiliating when entering China via an airport: anal swab tests for COVID-19, as [*Reuters* reports](). That's despite the fact that most other COVID tests use saliva samples taken from the mouth, nose, or back of the throat. Visitors at a number of Chinese cities have been required to submit to additional checks, according to state media, including anal swabs — which involve a long cotton swab being inserted into the anus. According to the country's health officials, anal swabs are better at spotting COVID infections since traces of the virus persist longer there than in the respiratory tract. Unsurprisingly, the decision was met with outrage by the international community. "Some Japanese reported to our embassy in China that they received anal swab tests, which caused a great psychological pain," Japan’s chief cabinet secretary, Katsunobu Kato told reporters on Tuesday, as [quoted by *The Guardian*](). It's still unclear how many foreigners have had to undergo the test in China. According to *Reuters*, South Korean visitors are able to submit stool samples instead of having their anuses swabbed. Late last month, [*VICE* reported]() that some US diplomats also received anal COVID tests. The US State Department wasn't thrilled. "The State Department never agreed to this kind of testing and protested directly to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs when we learned that some staff were subject to it," a spokesperson told *VICE*. According to the spokesperson, the tests were given "in error" and the diplomats were exempt from the test. "We have instructed staff to decline this test if it is asked of them, as was done in the past," the spokesperson added. ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()