In a letter addressed to President Joe Biden, five Republican senators have called for a travel restriction to and from China due to the surge in pneumonia cases among children in the country. The senators cited China's "long history of lying about public health crises" and criticized the World Health Organization (WHO) for its "slavish deference" to Chinese authorities.

The WHO had requested information on the outbreak and subsequently held a teleconference with Chinese officials. During the conference, Chinese authorities claimed that the pneumonia cases were caused by common bacteria, mycoplasma, as well as seasonal viruses such as respiratory syncytial virus, adenovirus, and the flu. American public health experts supported this assessment in interviews with POLITICO, suggesting that China may be facing a return of seasonal respiratory diseases, similar to other nations that lifted Covid-19 lockdowns.

Nevertheless, Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott of Florida, J.D. Vance of Ohio, Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, and Mike Braun of Indiana expressed their lack of trust in the WHO and Chinese authorities. They argued that implementing a travel ban now could potentially prevent further outbreaks, death, lockdowns, and mandates in the future.

The senators pointed to former President Donald Trump's decision to halt travel with China in January 2020, stating that history and common sense affirmed the correctness of that action. While no prominent Democrats have echoed the call for a travel ban, some have expressed concerns about China's transparency. Maryland Senator Ben Cardin voiced frustration with the reliability of China's shared information.

Meanwhile, U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel urged China to provide more transparent and timely information, emphasizing the importance of abandoning "COVID deception and delays" to save lives.

The call for a travel ban to and from China by these Republican senators highlights ongoing concerns regarding the global public health response and China's handling of infectious diseases. President Biden now faces the decision of whether to implement such travel restrictions, taking into account the arguments, political considerations, and potential impact on diplomatic relations.