Half-hearted news.
China announced Monday, December 26 the lifting of mandatory quarantines on arrival in the country.
From January 8, 2023, only a negative test within 48 hours will be required, the Health Commission (NHC) said.
Currently, five days of hotel isolation, followed by three days of home observation are imposed.
However, this reopening of the country divides Chinese expatriates.
Although some are delighted with this new relaxation of health restrictions and rush on plane tickets, others favor caution and prefer to wait in the face of an explosion of Covid-19 contaminations in China.
Wait for contamination to drop
"
I do not intend to return immediately,
declares Shan*,
because China is experiencing a pandemic tsunami
".
His friends advise him not to return because of the worrying health situation.
This retired writer who has lived in France for more than thirty years was in China during the confinement, from October 2020 to May 2022. “
We were deprived of food and medical care,
he recalls, sickened.
It was unimaginable.
This still painful experience to tell today is one of the reasons why Shan does not wish to return to his country soon.
Read alsoCovid-19 in China: do the images of overwhelmed hospitals really reflect reality?
Jessica, who has been living in France for more than four years, also prefers to wait because of the explosion of cases of contamination.
Even if she is triple vaccinated, the situation worries the young woman.
“
I have a very good friend who was hit in the lung,
she says sadly.
One friend's grandfather and another's cousin are dead
.
Tickets at “exorbitant” prices
For other expats, the lack of trust in the Chinese government prevents them from taking the plunge.
Zoé, who has not seen her family for more than three years, fears that the authorities will cancel her plane ticket at the last moment "
because of a positive case
".
Indeed since the start of the pandemic, the Chinese strategy has aimed to test each person as they enter the airport.
As soon as a positive case is detected, Beijing offers the airline a suspension of connections for two weeks, or four weeks of restricted gauge.
Read alsoCovid-19: airlines grounded for long months
This strict policy has therefore greatly disrupted air traffic in recent years.
Prices have soared.
The latter are "
exorbitant
", exclaims Shan, who consulted the flight reservation sites just after the government's announcement.
Flights between France and Beijing cost between 2000 and 3000 euros round trip.
Too “brutal” reopening policy
The retired writer also qualifies
this reopening as a “
brutal about-face ”.
The Chinese authorities have for too long "
demonized this virus to confine the population
".
And “
all of a sudden, it is no longer serious, he
quips.
People don't believe it yet
."
On December 7, the Chinese government announced the end of the zero Covid policy, after weeks of demonstrations against liberticidal health restrictions.
Since then, Covid-19 is no longer considered a “
pneumonia
” but a “
contagious
” disease.
Read alsoFaced with the revolt of the population, China changes its anti-Covid line
For Chloé, this "
brutal
" change of course puts "
everyone's life in danger
".
The government “
does not take into consideration the contaminations and the lack of resources at the hospital
”.
Citizens complain of stock shortages of anti-cold and anti-fever medicines.
Search engine Baidu said searches with the word "
Ibuprofen
", a fever and flu medication, increased by 430% in one week, AFP reported.
"A relief"
Many expatriates are nevertheless delighted with this reopening.
On Chinese social networks such as WeChat, messages of joy are multiplying.
“
A friend living in Canada wrote that she is already looking for tickets
,” reports Jessica.
Travel site Tongcheng saw an 850 percent jump in online searches and a tenfold increase in visa inquiries, according to AFP.
Read alsoChina has not been able to get out of “zero Covid” and is exposed to more than 1 million deaths
For Bruce, who has not seen his family for more than three years, this announcement is "
good news
".
Very affected by this distance, he has been consulting a psychologist for a few months.
“
It's a relief,
he rejoices,
as soon as my schedule allows me I will take tickets, even if they are a bit expensive
”.
However, restrictions remain in place despite the reopening: China has largely suspended the issuance of tourist visas and for foreign students.
*Name has been changed.
