People arriving in China from abroad for work, business, study and family reunions will no longer need to quarantine from Jan 8, according to the latest changes in the country's COVID-19 policy. Inbound passengers will still need a negative nucleic acid test 48 hours before departure and have to wear protective masks onboard flights, the State Council's Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism announced on Tuesday.
Testing on arrival will also be scrapped from Jan 8 and passengers will not be subjected to any special restrictions during their stay in China as long as their health declarations are normal and they show no symptoms of the disease during a "routine health check" while clearing customs.
Since March 2020, travelers to the Chinese mainland have been required to quarantine, typically for up to 21 days, at designated hotels. The quarantine policy, which has evolved over time, currently requires five days of quarantine at a centralized facility, followed by three days at home.
The State Council said that restrictions on entry of international flights, such as the "Five-One Policy" — a rule under which a country can send only one flight of one airline via a single route only once per week — will be lifted as well.
According to the announcement, restrictions on outbound travel will be relaxed, while visa arrangements for foreigners wanting to enter the country for work, business, study and family reunions will be improved.
Late on Tuesday, the National Immigration Administration announced that it will resume issuance of passports to Chinese citizens wanting to arrive in or depart from the Chinese mainland. It will also start granting exit and entry permits to those traveling to and from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
For foreigners in China, the immigration administration announced that it will resume, from Jan 8, the handling of applications for extension, change and reissuance of visas and stay permits.
Answering a question on when China might resume tourism, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said the country will adjust its tourist visa policies based on the development of the COVID-19 epidemic, which is still ongoing.
China will continue to improve its epidemic control measures to create a safe and healthy environment for travelers, he said, adding that people should follow travel advisories issued by Chinese embassies around the world.
Before the detailed policy for inbound and outbound travelers was released on Tuesday morning, the National Health Commission announced on Monday night that starting Jan 8, the country will downgrade management of COVID-19 from category A to category B, in accordance with the Law of the People's Republic of China on Prevention and Treatment of Infectious Disease. The commission also renamed the term "novel coronavirus pneumonia" to "novel coronavirus infection".
Meanwhile, relaxed international travel rules increased the volume of flight searches and triggered a rush for ticket bookings.
Data from travel platform Ctrip showed that within half an hour of the announcement on Tuesday, searches for flight tickets to overseas destinations increased 10 times. Many wanted to spend the weeklong Spring Festival holiday abroad, Ctrip said.
Data from another platform, Qunar, showed that within 15 minutes of the news, searches for international flights increased seven times, with Thailand, Japan and South Korea being the top choices.
According to online travel agency Tongcheng Travel, international flight ticket bookings were 2.5 times higher by 9 am on Tuesday. Hotel reservations for Hong Kong, Macao, Dubai, Kuala Lumpur and Pattaya also significantly increased.
Zhao Wenzhi, chairman of the Guangzhilv International Travel Agency based in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, said the surge in demand for flights and hotels shows how welcome the policy change is. "Large international port cities, including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, are likely to be the first to resume outbound travel for tourism," Zhao said.
The government of Hong Kong SAR is preparing for "gradual and orderly resumption" of normal travel with the Chinese mainland, a spokesperson there said in a statement on Tuesday.
A detailed plan will be handed to the central government for approval and normal travel between the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong is expected to resume by the middle of January, the spokesperson added.
Border control points are ready for the resumption of quarantine-free travel to the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong SAR customs officers said in a post on social media, adding that they have been conducting drills to check epidemic control equipment and facilities.
Hong Kong lawmaker Frankie Ngan Man-yu said the resumption of normal travel will bring business opportunities to the tourism, retail, catering and hospitality industries, and the SAR's economy will be greatly benefited.
