BEIJING – China will drop quarantine requirements for international arrivals in a drastic step towards reviving tourism and opening up to the outside world, it emerged on Monday.
The restrictions would be lifted from January 8, 2023 – three years after the Covid-19 pandemic broke out and shut the country for any kind of tourism related activity.
China’s National Health Commission (NHC) said in an announcement late Monday that inbound travelers will only be required to show a negative Covid test result obtained within 48 hours before departure. As a standard practice, they were earlier subject to five days of hotel quarantine and three days of self-isolation at home.
The announcement continued that restrictions on airlines regarding the number of international flights and passenger capacity will also be removed. The commission also confirmed downgrading Class A management of COVID-19 to Class B from January 8, 2023.
Another considerable change is that the commission changed the official Chinese name of Covid from ‘novel coronavirus pneumonia’ to ‘novel coronavirus infection’.
Meanwhile, according to the notice of interim measures for personnel exchanges between China and foreign countries issued by Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday, it was highlighted that those with no issues to report in their health declaration who have been given regular customs inspection and quarantine clearance can enter China without quarantining.
China has been largely shut off from the world ever since the Covid pandemic scared the international community, denting a blow to the leisure trips and tourism industry.
The Chinese authorities haven’t issued travel visas to Hong Kong since early 2020 besides stopping granting new passports in August 2021 for any unnecessary and non-urgent reasons.
