China lifts quarantine requirements for incoming travelers on Sunday, ending nearly three years of self-imposed isolation even as the country battles a surge in Covid-19 cases.
Beijing last month began a dramatic dismantling of a hardline virus strategy that had imposed mandatory quarantines and grueling lockdowns.
The containment policy has sunk China’s economy and sparked protests across the country.
In the final unraveling of those rules, on Sunday it will no longer be necessary for incoming travelers to China to quarantine.
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Since March 2020, all arrivals have been forced to self-isolate at centralized government facilities. This decreased from three weeks to one week this summer and to five days in November.
The Chinese scrambled to plan trips abroad after officials announced last month that the lockdown would be lifted, prompting a surge in inquiries on popular travel websites.
But the expected surge in visitors has prompted more than a dozen countries to impose mandatory Covid tests on travelers from the world’s most populous nation as it battles its worst outbreak in history.
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The outbreak is forecast to worsen as China enters the Lunar New Year holiday this month, during which millions of people are expected to travel from the hardest-hit megacities to the countryside to visit vulnerable elderly relatives.
Beijing called travel restrictions imposed by other countries “unacceptable,” even though it continues to largely block foreign tourists and international students from traveling to China.
– ‘Much better’ –
Despite the testing requirements, Zhang Kai, 28, told AFP that he is planning a trip to South Korea or Japan.
“I’m happy now (I can) finally let it go,” Zhang said.
Friends of his have already landed in Japan and have undergone tests, which he dismissed as a “little matter.”
Throughout Asia, resorts are bracing for a surge in Chinese visitors.
At a crepe stand in Seoul, Son Kyung-rak said he was making plans to deal with an onslaught of tourists.
“We are looking to hire and preparing to source,” the 24-year-old told AFP in the popular Myeongdong district of central Seoul.
“Chinese tourists are our main customers, so the more the merrier.”
In Tokyo, cartoonist Masashi Higashitani was brushing up on his Chinese language skills as he prepared to welcome more tourists.
But while he told AFP that he is excited about China reopening, he admitted to some apprehension.
“I wonder if an influx of too many could overwhelm our capacity. I am also concerned that we need to be more careful with anti-virus measures,” he told AFP.
– Hong Kong opens –
In the semi-autonomous southern Chinese city of Hong Kong, Sunday will also see a major relaxation of strict cross-border travel restrictions with the Chinese mainland.
Hong Kong’s recession-hit economy is desperate to reconnect with its biggest source of growth, and families separated by the border are looking forward to reunions during the Lunar New Year.
Up to 50,000 Hong Kong residents will be able to cross the border daily at three land checkpoints after registering online.
Another 10,000 will be allowed to enter by sea, air or bridges without needing to register in advance, said city leader John Lee.
More than 280,000 in total had registered to make the trip within a day of the new rules being announced.
But travelers from Hong Kong will still need to present a negative nucleic acid test result obtained no more than 48 hours before departure.
Immigration authorities will start issuing permits for mainland residents to travel to Hong Kong and Macao “according to the epidemic situation and the capabilities of the service,” the city said.
Hong Kong’s flag carrier Cathay Pacific has said it will more than double its flights to mainland China.
