Good news for travelers to China: Beijing announced on Friday the easing of several anti-Covid measures, including reducing the quarantine on arrival and ending the abrupt cancellation of flights.
The Asian country is the last major economy to maintain a strict health policy against the coronavirus. Its borders remain closed to most foreign citizens.
China applies a “zero Covid” strategy that aims to do everything to avoid new cases: confinement of neighborhoods or entire cities as soon as outbreaks appear, quarantines for infected people and almost daily PCR tests.
But this policy has significant repercussions on the Chinese economy, global supply chains, business morale, the country’s image and the international mobility of Chinese and foreigners. In a note released on Friday by public television CCTV, the government health agency announced several easing measures.
A reduced quarantine
Chinese and foreigners arriving in China will now only be quarantined for eight days, up from ten days before. As was already the case, the last three days can be done by travelers at home. The first five days, on the other hand, will always take place in specialized centers or hotels, at the expense of the confined persons.
Another novelty: “the important players of the economic world” and the “sports delegations” will be exempted from quarantine if they remain in the health bubble during their stay. The government also announced the end of the much-maligned “switch” mechanism.
Under this rule, international flights to China were canceled for one or two weeks if an excessively high number of infected passengers was found on board when previous flights arrived. Many travelers were forced to wait several weeks, even several months, before finding a seat on a flight.
Only one PCR test
Another good news for those traveling to China: they will have to provide the result of a single PCR test carried out within 48 hours before boarding, compared to the two so far.
All the measures were announced after a meeting of seven top Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leaders, including President Xi Jinping, was held on Thursday. They announced Beijing’s “unshakable” desire to maintain the zero Covid policy. But he hadn’t ruled out adjustments.
