BEIJING — China announced on Tuesday that it would no longer require entering travelers to present a negative PCR test for the coronavirus.
However, it was not clear if the test requirement would be completely abolished. A spokesman for China’s foreign ministry said that from April 29, people traveling to China “will be able” to undergo an antigen test within 48 hours before boarding to “replace” the previously mandated PCR test. only said.
The airline will not check test results before boarding, spokeswoman Mao Ning said. Added At regularly scheduled news briefings. She didn’t say whether others, such as immigration officials, would check.
According to notices from Chinese embassies abroad, travelers arriving in China are still required to fill out health declaration forms, and customs officials Do an unspecified spot check.
For three years, China has imposed the world’s toughest coronavirus restrictions, implementing lockdowns and regular mass testing in the name of “zero Covid”. Then the government abruptly abandoned those rules in December as the economy faltered, the virus spread widely, and protests erupted across the country. have tried to persuade foreign businessmen and diplomats.
In practice, geopolitical tensions have sometimes delayed the reopening.Tourist visa not reinstated until last monthInternational flights remain prohibitively expensive for many, often costing thousands of dollars. The United States and China have yet to lift the tit-for-tat cap they imposed on routes between the two countries during the pandemic.
Testing requirements have also been politicized. In January, several countries, including the United States, Japan and South Korea, announced mandatory testing for inbound travelers from China as the coronavirus spread across China. doubled We have suspended the requirements for travelers from these countries, as well as the issuance of some visas to Japanese and Koreans. (South Korea has also suspended visas for some Chinese tourists.)
The United States, Japan and South Korea no longer require pre-departure inspections for travelers arriving from China, but China did not change its rules until Tuesday.
Meanwhile, travelers to China from other countries were allowed to undergo antigen testing.
A day before the rule change was announced, Yanzhong Huang, Senior Fellow for Global Health at the Council on Foreign Relations, had called for the removal of the PCR test requirement, citing it as costly and time consuming for many travelers. . Motivated by “the dominance of geopolitical considerations.”
The rule “is unjustifiable for public health reasons, keeps China’s diaspora abroad, hinders China’s tourism industry, and hinders China’s post-corona reopening efforts,” Huang said. wrote. blog post On the website of the New York-based council.
China has consistently insisted that its response to the novel coronavirus is purely based on science. Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Zedong said in his statement that China will “continue to scientifically optimize” its rules.
