China announced on Monday that it plans to drop a mandate that requires all incoming travelers from abroad to self-quarantine, effective January 8, according to reports.
The Associated Press reported that the announcement was made by the National Health Commission as the latest effort to ease China’s measures to control COVID-19.
People wait for medical care at the Fever Clinic area at Tongren Hospital in Shanghai’s Changning district, on December 23, 2022 – China is battling a wave of coronavirus infections that has hit the elderly hard but it resulted in only a handful of deaths being reported after the government redefined the criteria by which deaths from Covid-19 are counted.
(Photo by Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images)
Under current conditions, all incoming passengers must quarantine in a hotel for five days, then another three days once they get home.
CHINA FACES MASSIVE WAVE OF COVID WITH FULL EMERGENCY ROOMS AND FULL CREMATORIES: ‘LOTS OF PEOPLE DYING’
This is the first big step towards opening up travel with the rest of the world. Before the change, visitors were required to quarantine for up to three weeks.
Still, anyone visiting China from afar must have a negative virus test 48 hours before departure and wear a mask while on board their flight, a Chinese health commission post said.
Residents take samples at a COVID-19 testing site in Beijing’s Chaoyang district, Tuesday, June 14, 2022. Authorities ordered another three-day round of mass testing for residents in Chaoyang district after of the detection of hundreds of cases of coronavirus linked to a nightclub.
(AP Photo/Andy Wong)
China’s National Health Commission said last month that people with asymptomatic cases of COVID-19 and those with mild symptoms can now self-isolate at home instead of being forced into a state quarantine facility. In addition, the authorities relaxed testing requirements and travel restrictions within the country, according to a 10-point plan published by the health authority.
CHINA TO SUFFER OVER 1 MILLION COVID DEATHS BY 2023, PREDICTS NEW MODEL
The changes to China’s COVID quarantine policy come as the country rushes to vaccinate people over the age of 60.
The Associated Press reported that the National Health Commission announced on November 29 that it was launching a campaign to increase the vaccination rate of older Chinese to prevent a health care crisis.
A worker wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) walks past people lining up to be tested at a mobile nucleic acid testing site amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Beijing, China. , on June 10, 2022.
(Reuters/Carlos Garcia Rawlins)
As of December 23, the number of people getting vaccinated daily has increased to 3.5 million nationwide, the National Health Commission announced. However, as of early 2021, tens of millions of flu vaccines were being administered each day.
CHINA ONLY COUNTS COVID-19 DEATHS DUE TO RESPIRATORY FAILURE
Many older Chinese fear the potential side effects, such as blood clots and fever, that have been reported after getting vaccinated.
The AP also reported that more than 90% of people in China have been vaccinated, though only 66% of those over 80 have.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
