Last week, China’s National Health Commission announced a reduction in quarantine time from the initial 14 days to a seven-day quarantine at a designated government site, coupled with a three-day isolation period at home.
The change in quarantine requirements is the most significant adjustment to China’s COVID-19 containment policy thus far, indicating that China has begun its process of gradual reopening.
Since the Coronavirus outbreak in 2020, China has enforced extremely stringent measures on all international entries into the country. Even with this new change, their policies are still much more rigid than most countries, which have done away with mandated quarantines on international travelers altogether.
The United States and European countries such as Germany, Greece, and Italy are among those which have lifted their travel restrictions. According to The New York Times, in recent weeks, the U.S. has recorded a daily average of 34 cases per 100,000, Italy with a daily average of 101 cases per 100,000, and China recorded a daily average of 0.008 per 100,000.
Business lobby groups from the UK, the U.S., and Europe were optimistic about these changes, as they will likely ease the business relationship between Chinese and foreign entities.
The British Chamber of Commerce in China told Reuters that this move will “hopefully work towards increasing business exchanges.”
Since China closed its borders in March 2020, it has only allowed a few international flights. International air passenger traffic will likely take a few months to return to pre-COVID levels.
Along with this change will come some extra precautions surrounding international travelers. Individuals who come in contact with inbound travelers, work in their environments, or come in contact with inbound goods, must be tested for COVID-19 daily.
Wang Liping, a researcher at the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, told the media that the shortening of quarantine is not a “relaxation” of control measures but an optimization of them.
