Three months before the Olympics: Beijing tightened the entry rules

The number of infections is low in China – but Beijing is tightening the entry rules from today. Anyone coming to the capital from other parts of the country must have a negative PCR test.

Less than three months before the start of the Winter Olympics, Beijing is tightening the entry requirements again. If you want to travel to the Chinese capital from another part of the country, you need a negative PCR test that is not older than 48 hours. So far it went without a test.

Flights to Beijing will be reduced

In addition, a green QR code must be shown on the Corona smartphone app. Anyone who has stayed in an area where there was even one positive case is not allowed to enter the capital for two weeks. The authorities have also announced that they will reduce the number of domestic flights to Beijing.

Ren Chaozhong of the North China Aviation Administration announced at a press conference yesterday that connections to the Chinese capital from regions considered to be medium or high risk areas will be reduced to one flight per day. Only 75 percent of the seats on board may be occupied.

Olympic Games are completely sealed off

The tightening of the rules comes less than three months before the start of the 2022 Winter Olympics, which will take place in February in the Chinese capital in a so-called bubble – completely isolated from the rest of the country. The borders have been as good as tight for a year and a half, and local outbreaks are dealt with with strict lockdowns and mass tests.

China is currently fighting an outbreak of the delta variant of the corona virus – the largest in months. Compared to other countries, the number of cases in the People’s Republic is negligible. In the most populous country in the world, eight new infections were recently registered within 24 hours.