Easing its zero-Covid policy, China will no longer ask the country's inbound travellers to quarantine from January 8. People arriving in China will only be required to obtain negative Covid test results within 48 hours of departure, according to a statement from the National Health Commission Monday.
According to the statement, the government will facilitate visa applications for foreigners who need to travel to China for everything from businesses and studies to family reunions, while outbound tourism, which dwindled to almost nothing during the pandemic, will resume in an orderly fashion. Current limits on the number of international flights between China and the rest of the world and passenger capacity will also be removed, reports Bloomberg.
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In an interview with People's Daily, Liang Wannian, a senior health official said, "Our priority now needs to change from preventing and controlling infection to treatment, with the goal of ensuring the health, preventing severe disease and enabling a stable orderly transition as we adjust our Covid response."
Hong Kong’s leader said Saturday that China has agreed to a reopening of the city’s border with the mainland, which has been largely closed by pandemic restrictions, and that he is aiming for a mid-January start.
Chief Executive John Lee, returning from a trip to Beijing where he met President Xi Jinping and other officials, told reporters at the Hong Kong airport that the two sides would develop a plan to reopen the border in a gradual and orderly manner.
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The announcement came as China is easing a “zero-COVID” policy that has restricted entry to the country, isolated infected people and locked down areas with outbreaks.
(with AP inputs)
