As of 8th January, people traveling to China will no longer be required to quarantine. China has finally opened its borders to the world after almost three years.
China set for Homecoming rush
Travelers will only be required to show a negative covid test taken 48 hours before departure. This will lead to a huge number of Chinese people returning home back to their families.
Yet the number of travelers expected to head toward the country is unmatched by the number of travelers expected to go out of the country. The flow of Chinese tourists, previously a $280 billion spending force in global holiday hotspots from Paris to Tokyo, will take months if not years to recover to its pre-pandemic level.
Other countries have made it mandatory for those traveling from China to be tested before they enter the country. This is due to the recent surge in the number of covid cases in China. Airlines have been reluctant to make major changes to their flight schedule. This means the number of travelers to and from the country remains low and the price of the ticket remains high.
The reopening of the Chinese border to the world marks the end of the Zero-covid policy. The same strategy that kept the virus at bay for the past three years. The opening of the Chinese border is also good news for the Chinese economy which had been crumpling under the Zero Covid policy.
The government began rolling back on its zero covid policy back in November when the people of China protested against the policy. By doing this China has become the last country to abolish its border restrictions.
A maximum of the inbound flow is expected to come from Hong Kong. There has been a rush online to secure a spot in the daily quota of about 60,000 seats.
As for the resumption of visitation by foreigners and business people to China, the requirement for a negative PCR test and practices like near-universal mask-wearing may act as a deterrent in the near term. But for the first time since the virus emerged in Wuhan in late 2019, China has rejoined the rest of the world.
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