[Grammar] the travel restrictions that many countries have imposed on its citizens

[kadioguy]

China’s efforts, along with the travel restrictions that many countries have imposed on its citizens, have slowed the virus’s progress.

https://www.economist.com/internati...predict-that-covid-19-will-spread-more-widely
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"Many countries" is plural, so I am wondering why "its", rather than "their", is used.

What do you think?

Does "its" here mean that "the countries" are seen individually, while "their" means that "the countries" are seen as a number of countries?

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(Source)

 

[Tarheel]

It should be:

the travel restrictions many countries have imposed on their citizens ....

 

[bubbha]

Even writers and editors at The Economist make mistakes sometimes.

 

[GoesStation]

While it's true that grammatical errors creep into The Economist more often than its editors would like, this isn't one of them. "Its" refers to China's: China’s efforts, along with the travel restrictions that many countries have imposed on its [China's] citizens, have slowed the virus’s progress.