China slashes quarantine time for international arrivals to 5 days
- Threshold also dropped for positive PCR tests among major changes to the country’s zero-Covid measures
- Travellers can now visit with just one negative test 48 hours before boarding their flights
The newly released measures include ending the practice of cancelling international flights if too many passengers from previous flights test positive on arrival – the major barrier to visiting China – the State Council’s Covid-19 prevention team said.
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This will allow more international flights which should lead to a fall in prices.
Arriving travellers will now be allowed to enter the country after showing just one negative PCR test within the 48 hours before boarding. The cycle threshold for a negative PCR test will be also be dropped, from 40 to 35.
An easing of restrictions was also announced within China, with the length of time spent in central quarantine for close contacts reduced to five days, instead of the previous seven.
However, the three days of home health monitoring that follows has been changed to a stricter home quarantine, meaning the contacts will no longer be allowed to leave home during that period.
Close contacts of people who have been in close contact with someone who tests positive will no longer have to undergo quarantine and medical surveillance.
Risk area classifications have also been amended, with just high and low areas remaining. High-risk areas will need to show five consecutive days of no new infections to be reclassified as low risk.
Lockdowns must be suspended in a timely manner once the low-risk criteria are met, according to the announcement.
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Residents travelling from high-risk areas to other parts of the country will no longer have to spend seven days in a centralised isolation facility, with the requirement relaxed to the same period in home isolation.
The State Council announcement said Covid-19 testing will now only be conducted in key spots where cases have been detected. Previously, an entire region would undergo mass testing, despite no recorded outbreaks in the wider area.
The Covid-19 prevention team said the “unscientific” routine of having two or three tests a day should be adjusted.
Covid-19 testing should no longer be applied to an entire population by administrative area sectioning. Instead, the measure should be reserved for when the source and chains of infection and transmission are unclear.
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There will also be a promotion drive to accelerate coverage of booster shots of Covid-19 vaccines, especially among the elderly. At the same time, the development of vaccines with broad-spectrum protection must speed up, along with the regulatory approvals for their use.
In the country’s academic institutions, the transfer of infected students from campus to a quarantine facility will be prioritised, sometimes in a different city because of capacity constraints, the statement said.
The education ministry and local departments will also take the lead in investigating and supervising the “rectification of outstanding problems” – such as arbitrary and excessive campus closures and control measures.
Long periods of online teaching and a failure to provide adequate support for students will also be addressed, according to the State Council announcement. Local education departments should also set up a complaint platform and hotline, and respond in a timely manner.
