China began reopening its borders on Sunday and ending lengthy quarantine requirements for travelers, putting one of the last nails in the coffin of the country’s draconian “zero-COVID” policy.
The reopening of land, sea and air crossings comes even as an outbreak sweeps through China, forcing several countries around the world to impose new restrictions on travel by Chinese citizens in recent weeks.
The US, South Korea, Japan, Australia, Italy, Canada, and others require Chinese travelers to have a negative COVID-19 test before leaving the country. Those new restrictions have drawn strong rebukes from Chinese officials.
Passengers wearing face masks line up for security screening before entering an international departure gate at the Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, Thursday, December 29, 2022.
(AP Photo/Andy Wong)
CHINESE TOURIST INFECTED WITH COVID CAUGHT IN SOUTH KOREA AFTER FLEEING QUARANTINE CENTER
Travelers between Hong Kong and mainland China must still have a negative COVID-19 test, a much lighter restriction than the long and expensive quarantine periods previously required.
“The goal is to return to normal pre-epidemic life as quickly as possible,” Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee told reporters at a briefing on Sunday morning. “We want to get the cooperation between the two parties back on track.”
Patients lie on beds and gurneys in a corridor in a hospital emergency department, amid the COVID-19 outbreak in Shanghai, China, on January 4, 2023.
(Reuters/Staff)
The pushback from China’s “zero-COVID” strategy comes as international health officials press the country to be more transparent about the scale of the outbreak it is experiencing.
Mike Ryan, the World Health Organization’s director of emergencies, said this week that the figures China has released “underrepresent the true impact of the disease,” including ICU admissions, deaths and hospitalizations.
Hong Kong passengers arrive at the international arrivals hall of Terminal 3 of the Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, Sunday, January 8, 2023.
(AP Photo/Andy Wong)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Chinese hospitals and funeral homes have been overwhelmed by the rising number of cases, with videos surfacing on social media of crowded emergency room corridors and some citizens burning the bodies of family members in the open in the open. makeshift cremations.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
