One of the most significant steps towards reopening since the coronaviruses began was the decision by China to no longer require travelers from overseas to enter a quachicle.
Incoming travelers will have to show a negative P.C.R. test within 48 hours before departure. The number of incoming flights will be allowed to be reduced.
For nearly three years, the world's most populous country was isolated due to travel restrictions. When foreigners were barred from entering China in 2020, it was only for business or family reunions.
Travelers allowed to enter were required to undergo extensive health screening and scurvy at their own expense, sometimes for as long as two months.
The reversal of China's "zero Covid" approach to the viruses was announced on Monday. The policy resulted in a crushed economy and stirred public discontent.
Protests erupted across the country after a fire in the Uyghur region led to the deaths of 10 people. It was one of the largest and most widespread revolts of dissent in years. The restrictions were loosened within days.
A senior fellow for global health at the New York-based Council on Foreign Relations said that the easing of travel restrictions signals the end of Covid. China had held on to its international limitations despite relaxing many of its zero- Covid domestic policies this month.
China has not thrown open its borders. There were many details that weren't clear. All tourist visas that were valid at the beginning of the Pandemic have been canceled. The ability of foreigners to apply for visas for business, study or family reunions will be further improved.
Chinese officials didn't say how many flights would be allowed. The number of international flights to China in November was 6 percent of what it was in 2019.
China will allow its citizens to travel for leisure in an orderly fashion. In May, the government said it would restrict non essential exit activities after it stopped issuing or renewing Chinese passports during the Pandemic.
On Monday, China announced that it would change its classification of the coronaviruses. The government used to treat Covid-19 as a Category A infectious disease. In order to control the spread, officials had to put in place strict restrictions. AIDS and bird flu will be included in Covid as a Category B disease.
The shift away from zero Covid will be further solidified by that change. Beijing is signaling to officials nationwide that they should prioritize reviving the economy over disease control, he said.
It wasn't clear how soon international travelers would be willing to visit China and how much the economy would benefit from it. An explosion in infections has been caused by the loosened restrictions. Many older Chinese have not received a vaccine. Mass testing in the country has ended and China counts Covid deaths differently than most of the world. There are many reports of overwhelmed hospitals.
There were more than one million new Covid cases a day in the province according to an official at the news conference.
While China had pursued zero Covid for a long time, he was now worried that policymakers had swung too quickly in the opposite direction.
The strategy that is supposed to be focused on the elderly and vulnerable will be demoted to the back burner.
The impact of China's Covid pivot was felt on its social media platforms, where users greeted the news with a mix of disbelief and joy. Some people were happy that Chinese students studying overseas would be able to visit their families more easily. The minutes after the announcement, searches for international plane tickets on one travel platform soared.
The scale of China's outbreak and deaths made others not be happy about the changes. Huge swaths of cities, including Beijing, had been under lock and key less than a month ago.
Amy Chang Chien was a contributor.
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