Almost three years after the start of the coronavirus epidemic, the middle empire is reopening its doors.
China will end mandatory quarantines on arrival in the country on January 8, health authorities announced on Monday, after the lifting in early December of most of the anti-Covid measures in force since 2020.
From next month, only a negative test within 48 hours will be required to enter Chinese territory, the Health Commission, which serves as a ministry, said in a notice.
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China is the only major economy which continued to impose quarantines on arrival on its territory which penalize tourism in particular, even if their duration has been reduced in recent months.
It is currently 5 days at the hotel, followed by three days of observation at home.
No tourist visas, slow international flights
The Health Commission has indicated that it no longer considers Covid-19 as "pneumonia" but as a less dangerous "contagious" disease.
In June, China had already halved the duration of the mandatory quarantine for travelers arriving in the country: it was reduced to 10 days, against 21 previously.
The country's borders have remained almost completely closed since the beginning of 2020.
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China has stopped issuing tourist visas for almost three years and international air connections have been greatly reduced.
The power put an end without notice on December 7 to most of the measures, against a backdrop of growing exasperation of the population and considerable impact on the economy.
The number of cases has since exploded, raising fears of high mortality among the oldest, who are particularly vulnerable.
This lifting of restrictions could lead to the death of around a million people in the coming months, according to estimates from several Western studies.