BEIJING, KOMPAS.com – Chinese citizens flocked to book overseas air tickets after Chinese government announced plans to lift travel restrictions next month.
Several travel sites have seen a spike in visitor numbers since the plan was announced on Monday (12/26/2022). This policy includes the elimination of mandatory quarantine requirements for foreign arrivals.
As for Chinese people wishing to fly overseas, the Chinese Immigration Bureau said passport applications will be reopened on January 8.
Read also: The peak of Covid-19 in China increases the risk of new variants
Even so, Chinese tourists cannot enter all destination countries without travel conditions.
Officials in the United States (US) are considering new restrictions on travelers from China amid concerns about a spike in cases and a lack of transparency from the Chinese government.
“There is growing concern in the international community about the ongoing COVID-19 spike in China and the lack of transparent data, including viral genome sequence data,” the US official said in a statement quoted by several news agencies. press.
“Without this data, it will be increasingly difficult for public health officials to ensure they will be able to identify potential new variants and take quick steps to reduce the spread,” the official added.
Then Japan, which is one of the most popular destinations for Chinese tourists, announced special conditions for migrants from that country.
Arrivals from China must show a negative Covid-19 test upon arrival or quarantine for seven days due to the boom in cases in the country.
In fact, India still requires travelers from China and some other countries to bring a negative Covid-19 test result upon landing.
This regulation was in place before China relaxed regulations related to the spread of Covid-19.
Read also: The Italian PM to the EU: bring us the Covid test for visitors from China
The zero Covid strategy has been followed by an increase in Covid cases
The easing of travel conditions – the latest part of the Chinese government’s “zero-covid” policy – comes as the country tries to fight a new wave of infections.
The Chinese government has decided to ease its policies related to Covid-19 after citizens staged massive protests against President Xi Jinping last November
However, this step has been followed by a surge in Covid-19 cases that have overwhelmed hospitals and pharmacies with shortages of medicines.
The announcement to reopen foreign travel came a day after the government lifted quarantine requirements for travelers disembarking in China.
The Chinese government has also lifted restrictions on the number of daily flights.
Not only that, China’s National Health Commission will reduce the danger level of Covid-19 to class B disease on January 8.
Before the abolition of travel requirements, Chinese people were advised not to travel abroad.
The sale of group tours and travel packages is prohibited, according to marketing solutions firm Dragon Trail International.
Read also: New US measures to prevent the entry of Chinese tourists
Visitors to travel sites are on the rise, this is the country most people want to go to
Just half an hour after the announcement of the easing of travel restrictions was released, Chinese media reported that they searched holiday destinations on travel sites trip. com 10 times more than last year.
The most sought-after destinations by Chinese citizens include Macau, Hong Kong, Japan, Thailand and South Korea.
Also, flight-related searches on travel agency sites Quanar it increased sevenfold within 15 minutes of the announcement, according to reports Chinese newspaper.
Before the pandemic, according to Statista, the number of travelers from China reached 155 million people in 2019. This figure dropped to 20 million people in 2020.
This year, a number of Chinese citizens are hoping to visit their families and loved ones for the Chinese New Year, which falls on January 22, 2023.
Therefore, many Chinese citizens have mixed feelings about the easing of Covid-19 policies.
“I’m happy to hear that but also shocked. That China will do it [pembukaan kembali] why did I have to go through all the daily Covid-19 tests and lock down the area last year?” said Rachel Liu, who lives in Shanghai.
He said he had been in lockdown for three months, while all his family members had contracted Covid-19 in recent weeks.
His parents, grandparents and the boy who live in three different cities, Xi’an, Shanghai and Hangzhou, all fell ill with fever last week.
Read also: 6 countries tighten borders for visitors from China, anticipate waves of arrivals
On social media, many also say they are concerned about the reopening of travel, despite the high number of cases of Covid-19.
“Why don’t they wait for this wave to pass before reopening? Healthcare workers are already overwhelmed and the elderly will not be able to survive two waves of infections in one month,” wrote one of the most prominent comments on Weibo.
People living in big cities like Beijing and Shanghai, who are experiencing winter, are starting to run out of cold and flu medicine.
Hundreds of people who have died from Covid-19 are feared going unreported as some crematoria are overwhelmed.
In the capital Beijing, officials have unveiled plans to distribute Pfizer’s Paxlovid tablets in a bid to ease heavy infections.
However, second The global timeshealth principals admitted they had not received the drug from the government.
On Monday, President Xi Jinping delivered his message on policy changes for the first time. He called on officials to do what “can be done” to save lives.
The drastic policy change in China has put Xi in a difficult position.
It was the main driver of the “zero-Covid” policy that many citizens protested because it made life difficult for them and slowed down the economy.
But, now that the policy has been rescinded, analysts say Xi should be held responsible for the massive spate of outbreaks and hospital overcrowding.
Many wondered why China wasn’t better prepared for the boom in cases.
Read also: China’s confusing Covid-19 situation: loose lockdown, crazy cases
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