Passenger planes sit on the tarmac at Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport on November 4, 2022, before China lifted travel restrictions related to Covid.
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BEIJING – China announced late Monday that travelers will no longer have to quarantine upon arrival on the mainland starting January 8.
The upcoming change follows a sudden relaxation this month in domestic Covid controls. The changes remove most of the most restrictive measures China has implemented for nearly three years under its zero-Covid policy.
From March 2020, travelers to the mainland were required to quarantine, usually at a designated hotel and for 14 days. That isolation period later began to increase to 21 days or more for some travelers, before China began cutting quarantine times this summer.
Current policy calls for five days of quarantine at a centralized facility, followed by three days at home.
China’s National Health Commission also said that, effective January 8, the authorities would stop tracking close contacts of Covid patients, stop the designation of Covid risk areas and cancel Covid measures that have delayed the importation of goods.
The commission said travelers to China would only need to show a negative virus test within the last 48 hours, and would no longer need to apply for a clear health code. While on the flight, passengers would still be required to wear a face mask, the announcement said.
China’s economy slowed this year amid strict Covid controls that locked Shanghai down for about two months, along with other parts of the country. Beijing abruptly lifted many of the restrictions earlier this month. Meanwhile, local Covid infections surged, straining an already stretched public health system.
More flights needed
The quarantine requirement and other Covid-related measures have made it difficult for foreign businesses in China to bring in factory staff, executives and technicians. On the same subject : US must stop ‘bullying’ and suppressing China’s development, says foreign minister.
“Just because the borders are open doesn’t mean travel will bounce back immediately,” Michael Hart, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in China, said last week.
He noted that the number of flights available in and out of China must recover. “I don’t think the US carriers or the international carriers are going to go back to normal right away because those planes are already flying other routes,” Hart said. “It could be different with the Chinese airlines, because the planes are just sitting on the tarmac doing nothing.”
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In 2019, China said 670 million international trips were made in and out of the country. See the article : United States: National Day of South Sudan. In 2021, the number dropped to 128 million, according to the National Immigration Administration.
China said on Monday it would improve visa arrangements for foreigners to enter the country for work, business, study, visiting relatives and other gatherings.
The ability of Chinese citizens to travel abroad will be “reconstructed in an orderly manner,” the announcement said in Chinese, according to a CNBC translation.
During the pandemic, Beijing prohibited Chinese citizens from obtaining passports or leaving the country unless they had a clear business purpose, usually.
Previously, Chinese tourists and their spending abroad – especially on luxury goods – were a significant source of income for businesses in many international tourist destinations.
