JOHANNESBURG, Dec 29 Reuters South Africa39;s rand was flat against the dollar in early trade on Thursday, as rising COVID19 cases in China dented risk sentiment.

At 0645 GMT, the risksensitive rand traded at 17.0975 against the dollar, near its previous close of 17.0925.

The dollar index , which measures the greenback against six rivals, was up 0.06 at 104.41.

Countries including the United States, Japan and India said on Wednesday they would require COVID tests for travellers from China, which has said it would scrap quarantine rules for inbound travellers from Jan. 8.

Concerns over the spread of the virus during the nationwide travel rush for the Lunar New Year that falls on Jan. 22 and the uncertainty over how China39;s economy will fare following the removal of COVID controls have kept markets subdued.

Like most emerging market currencies, the rand tends to take cues from global drivers in the absence of major local economic news.

South African government39;s benchmark 2030 bond prices gained in early deals, with the yield down 5 basis points to 10.235.

Reporting by Bhargav Acharya Editing by Vinay Dwivedi

Source Reuters