Quarantine for travellers to China will be scrapped from January 8, as authorities continue to ease the country’s zero-Covid policy.
The move will reopen the country to those with work and study visas, or those visiting family, after almost three years of closed borders.
After health authorities announced inbound travellers would no longer have to quarantine upon entering the country, the immigration authority said it would also resume issuing visas for mainland residents to travel overseas from January 8.
This has resulted in a high number of Chinese residents booking overseas travel.
Restrictions have been eased despite reports suggesting hospitals across China have become overwhelmed with patients, as Covid continues to spread across the country.
Authorities have been reversing the strict Covid curbs in place since early 2020 after protests that broke out in November.
Subsequent U-turns on the curbs mean the virus is now spreading largely unchecked across the country of 1.4 billion people, reports The Guardian.
The newspaper reported some of China’s regional neighbours are concerned about China’s decision to open its borders.
Japan prime minister Fumio Kishida said on Tuesday his country would require Covid tests for all visitors from China as a temporary emergency measure from Friday, with those who test positive having to quarantine for seven days at designated facilities.