Status: 12/27/2022 7:03 am
From January 8, people traveling to China from abroad will no longer have to quarantine. Instead, a negative corona test is sufficient. This means that the last major measure of the zero-Covid policy also falls.
China abolishes mandatory quarantine for travelers. According to the National Health Commission, a negative corona test that must not be older than 48 hours will suffice from January 8th. That’s officially at least five days of isolation in a hotel room under strict surveillance. In between even 21 days were prescribed.
Withdrawal of the last major Covid measure
Hotel quarantine upon entry is the last major measure of the zero Covid policy to fall. Restrictions on airlines will also be lifted on January 8th. It is unclear how quickly this will normalize air traffic between China and the rest of the world. Currently there are only a fraction of flight connections compared to the time before the pandemic.
Further loosening in prospect
In the past three years, China has hardly issued any visas – tourists are not allowed into the country until now. Although the state and party leadership announced some visa facilitation, concrete measures were not mentioned. During the pandemic, the communist government has also barred many Chinese nationals from leaving the country without a valid reason. Here, too, easing was announced without being specific.
Measures were taken surprisingly and unprepared
The state and party leadership announced an end to its zero-Covid policy on December 7 after almost three years of travel restrictions, lockdowns, mass tests and other harsh measures – surprisingly and largely unprepared. Officially, the reason given was that the omicron variant was no longer so dangerous.
Since then, the corona virus has been spreading rapidly in the People’s Republic. Many hospitals in the country are overwhelmed. According to estimates, around one million people could die as a result of Covid disease in the coming months. Crematoria in the country are much busier than usual.
Number of Covid deaths unclear
How many people actually die is unclear. China has not published any official corona data since Sunday. The Health Commission announced that the number of new infections and deaths would no longer be announced on a daily basis. A reason was not given. However, the most recently published figures were meaningless anyway – partly because there is hardly any testing anymore.