Since the beginning of the pandemic, China has had some of the strictest Covid-19 travel restrictions, only recently starting to ease the entry requirements for international travellers.
Currently, international visitors have to follow the “5+3” quarantine rule, meaning they have to spend 5 days quarantining in a designated hotel or medical facility and then 3 days quarantining at home. From 3 January, the rule is said to change to “0+3”, according to the Hong Kong Satellite Television and reported by Simple Flying.
As per the new rule, people coming into the country would only have to spend 3 days quarantining at home, or in a hotel, but the latter does not have to be one of the centralised Covid-19 hotels. Although the news has been reported by multiple media outlets, officials have not yet confirmed any plan of easing restrictions. The only confirmation comes from spokeswoman for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mao Ning, who said they will “make it easier for people to travel across the border depending on the situation.”
In the nearly three years since the outbreak of Covid-19, we have taken a coordinated approach and pursued win-win cooperation.
Mao Ning, spokesperson Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China
“We have taken the lead in resuming work and production around the world, actively promoted high-level opening-up, improved visa policies through fast channels, increased international flights in an orderly manner, and simplified remote prevention and control measures to facilitate people-to-people exchanges, making important contributions to maintaining the stability of the global industrial chain and supply chain. We will make it easier for people to travel across the border depending on the situation”, Ning clarified.
China started gradually removing some of its notorious zero-Covid policies earlier this year. Mass testing and strict quarantine were part of the requirements, but after protests broke out across the country, quarantine was decreased to the current “5+3” rule in November, along with setting a plan for the end of Covid plane suspensions.
