Corona policy: China shortens quarantine on entry

China continues to pursue an extremely strict corona policy, but is relaxing entry rules: From now on, arriving passengers only have to spend seven days in hotel quarantine plus three days at home. Previously it was 21 days.

China is relaxing its strict corona entry restrictions: the quarantine that has been mandatory since the beginning of the corona pandemic will be shortened for all arrivals from abroad, as announced by the National Health Commission in Beijing. Only a seven-day hotel quarantine plus three days at home is required. So far, travelers have had to be in quarantine for a total of up to 21 days.

China almost completely sealed off its borders in March 2020. Since then, the few travelers from abroad have been closely monitored in expensive quarantine hotels for weeks.

International connections still reduced

Since April, some Chinese cities have already reduced the quarantine to ten days, including the capital Beijing in May. However, the number of international flights is still greatly reduced in order to prevent “imported” cases of infection. The few flights are often canceled at short notice.

China has been pursuing a strict “zero Covid strategy” since the beginning of the corona pandemic. However, with the advent of the fast-spreading omicron variant, larger outbreaks kept occurring.

Shanghai locked down until early June

The center was initially the economic metropolis of Shanghai, after which the city was rigorously sealed off at the beginning of April. The measures for most residents were not relaxed again until the beginning of June. There were also recent restrictions in the capital Beijing.

The strict measures are a major burden for the world’s second largest economy. Foreign chambers of commerce have been calling for easing for months. The long quarantine times are not the only problem for business travellers.

With information from Ruth Kirchner, ARD studio Beijing, currently Berlin