China is to end its quarantine regime for inbound travellers from next month as the country continues to rapidly lift many of its Covid-19 restrictions.
The destination, which has largely been closed to international visitors for nearly three years due to the pandemic, will end the requirement for arriving passengers to spend five days at a hotel, followed by three days at home, from 8 January.
Arriving passengers will still have to provide a negative Covid test result taken within 48 hours of departure and continue to wear masks on flights.
The move from January will see the resumption of normal visa services for international visitors to China, as well as the return of the tourist visa exemption, according to reports.
Chinese residents will also be allowed to resume travelling abroad from 8 January, while authorities are scrapping the current cap on the daily number of flights permitted. Reports suggest that several countries, including the UK and US, may impose restrictions on Chinese visitors.
Hong Kong, which is a special administrative region of China, is further easing its own travel rules, with visitors no longer having to take mandatory on-arrival PCR tests from 29 December. The region’s vaccine pass system is also ending, although masks will still have to worn in public places.