Coronavirus: China eases quarantine for overseas arrivals based on ‘lessons learned’ in Shanghai

New guidelines say travellers will now have to spend seven days in a government-run facility, plus another three days in home isolation

EU business group welcomes the move but says it remains to be seen if they will be used across the country, as previous guideline implementation has varied widely

Reading Time:4 minutes

China has been sending signals that border controls could gradually be eased. Photo: Bloomberg

Published: 3:06pm, 28 Jun 2022Updated: 12:05am, 29 Jun 2022

China has reduced quarantine time for overseas arrivals, in the first step towards easing its Covid-19 border restrictions.

People arriving in mainland China will now have to spend seven days at a government-run quarantine facility, followed by another three days in home isolation, according to new guidelines released by the National Health Commission on Tuesday.

Previously the requirement was 14 days in quarantine and seven days in home isolation.

It marks the biggest change to the rules since China closed its borders in March 2020, but the country’s border controls remain tough compared to others that have completely reopened and dropped testing requirements.

The Hong Kong market reacted positively to the news, with tourism stocks rallying – Trip.com Group jumped 16.54 per cent, Fosun Tourism was up 14.39 per cent and Air China rose 10.06 per cent.

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