As part of new travel measures to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the country, foreign travellers into China now have to undergo mandatory anal swab testing.

Reports credited to the Times UK on Wednesday said the Chinese government believed results from the anal swabs test were more accurate than others.

Buttressing the government’s claim, a respiratory disease expert, Li Tongzeng, added that going by results from various samples, the traces of the virus stayed longer in an excreta than in the nose or throat, local media reported.

The Times further revealed that anal swab testing hubs would be in place at the Beijing and Shanghai airports.

Through its Chief Cabinet Secretary, the Japanese government, Katsunobuh Kato, had asked the Chinese government at a news conference to stop performing the new testing method on its citizens who complained of ‘psychological pain” following the testing.

However, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, Wang Wenbin, who disclosed that the screening is “science-based,” explained that the new testing method was performed “in accordance with the changes in the epidemic situation as well as relevant laws and regulations.”