Good news for travelers to China: Beijing announced on Friday the relaxation of several anti-Covid measures, including a reduction in quarantine on arrival and an end to the abrupt cancellation of flights. The Asian country is the last major economy to maintain a strict health policy against the coronavirus. Its borders remain closed to most foreign nationals.
Several relaxation measures
China applies a “zero Covid” strategy which aims to do everything to avoid cases: confinement of neighborhoods or entire cities as soon as outbreaks appear, quarantines for infected people and almost daily PCR tests. But this inflexible policy has significant repercussions on the Chinese economy, global supply chains, business morale, the country’s image and the international mobility of Chinese and foreigners. In a note published Friday on the internet by public television CCTV, the Chinese government’s health agency announced several easing measures.
A quarantine of eight days against ten previously
Chinese and foreigners arriving in China will now quarantine for only eight days, compared to ten previously. As was already the case, the last three days can be done at the travelers’ Chinese home. The first five days of quarantine will, however, always be carried out in specialized centers or hotels, the costs of accommodation and food remaining the responsibility of the confined persons.
Another novelty: “important players in the economic world” and “sports delegations” will be exempt from quarantine if they remain in a health bubble during their stay.
Only one PCR test to provide
The government also announced on Friday the shutdown of the much-maligned “circuit breaker” mechanism. Under this rule, international flights to China were canceled for one or two weeks in the event of discovery, on arrival of previous flights, of a number deemed too high of infected passengers on board.
Friday’s announcement comes as a relief to many travellers, who until now feared having their flights canceled at the last moment. They were forced to wait several weeks, even several months, outside of China before finding a flight.
Another good news for travelers from abroad: they will have to provide the result of a single PCR test carried out within 48 hours before boarding for China, compared to two so far.
10,535 cases identified in 24 hours
All these measures are announced after a meeting of the seven top leaders of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), including President Xi Jinping, was held on Thursday. They had announced Beijing’s “unwavering” desire to maintain the zero Covid policy. This obviously does not prevent adjustments.
China’s Health Ministry on Friday announced 10,535 new local cases of people who tested positive in the past 24 hours – the vast majority asymptomatic. A figure that has been rising in recent weeks, but which remains much lower than most countries in the world.
If it hits the economy hard and weighs heavily on the morale of the Chinese, the zero Covid policy has undoubtedly made it possible to very greatly limit contamination. Only just over 5,200 deaths have been officially recorded in China during the pandemic, compared to more than a million in the United States. But this policy provoked growing discontent among the population, even sporadic demonstrations. And the economic repercussions are such that most analysts now consider it impossible for China to achieve its growth target of “around 5.5%” in 2022.
Preventive confinements now prohibited
Power is therefore on a crest line and the note published on Friday also calls for several other easings. It “strictly prohibits” preventive or overly long confinements, school closures not approved by the authorities or even “ready-made solutions” applied indiscriminately. The note also calls for “accelerating” anti-Covid vaccinations in China, especially among the elderly, who are very reluctant at the moment, as well as for strengthening the stocks of antiviral Covid treatments.