Two years after China first closed its borders at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the country is finally easing its border restrictions.
It announced that from 8 Jan, travellers will not need to quarantine after entering its borders, Reuters reported.
Only a negative Covid-19 test taken 48 hours before arriving in China will be required.
This comes after Singapore Airlines (SIA) reinstated flights from Singapore to Beijing.
The negative Covid-19 test has to be a PCR test, according to China’s National Health Commission.
Since 2020, China has required travellers to undergo at least two weeks of mandatory quarantine, which drastically raised the bar of entry.
After years of enforcing a zero-Covid regimen, the regime abruptly loosened restrictions last month.
Source: Iewek Gnos on Unsplash
The NHC also lowered Covid-19 to a Category B infectious disease from Category A, it said on Sunday.
The disease has become less virulent and will gradually evolve into a common respiratory infection, it said.
Domestically, infections are also rising, to the point where the NHC has stopped releasing daily Covid-19 counts. Its last update was on 24 Dec.
In Zhejiang, health officials say there are more than one million new Covid-19 cases daily, according to CNN.
After other large economies opened up to tourists in 2022, China is now finally the last country to follow suit.
While the barriers of entry have been loosened, details about tourist visas are still unclear. Before March 2020, Singaporeans were able to travel visa-free to China for up to 15 days. This hasn’t been reinstated yet.
Also uncertain is the number of tourists who will be willing to visit China, although SIA’s decision to reinstate flights to Beijing is a sign that there will be more travel to the country from next year.
However, lowering the barrier of entry and doing away with quarantines should make booking that flight an easier decision to make.
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Featured image adapted from Cathay Pacific.
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