China is lifting mandatory quarantine for travelers from overseas on Sunday, January 8, ending three years of self-imposed isolation just as it faces a surge in Covid-19 cases at home.
After three years of some of the most draconian restrictions in the world, which weighed on its economy and ended up sparking protests across the country, China last month abruptly lifted most of its measures to fight the pandemic.
Last act of this dismantling: the end, this Sunday, of strict quarantines in dedicated hotels to which, since March 2020, all people arriving from abroad have been required to submit.
Increase in bookings
Initially three weeks, the duration of this quarantine had already been reduced to one week last summer, then to five days in November.
The announcement in December of the end of the quarantine prompted the Chinese to make numerous plans to travel abroad, with a dramatic increase in traffic on booking sites.
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At Shanghai's Pudong International Airport, a woman named Pang told AFP she was pleased with the loosening of the rules.
"
I think it's really good that the policy has changed now
," she said.
“
It's a necessary step, I think.
Covid has normalized now and after this hurdle everything will be fine
,” she added.
“Unacceptable” restrictions
But the prospect of a massive influx of Chinese tourists has prompted more than a dozen countries to impose screening tests on travelers from China, where the number of contaminations has exploded since the abrupt end of the “
zero Covid
” policy. relentlessly carried out for three years.
Beijing has condemned the travel restrictions imposed on its nationals as "
unacceptable
", although China itself has remained largely closed since 2020 to foreign tourists and international students.
Following a crisis meeting of European Union experts on Wednesday, member states were "
strongly encouraged
" to screen visitors from the world's most populous country.
And the Netherlands and Portugal on Friday became the latest countries to require passengers arriving from China to present a negative Covid-19 test upon arrival.
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The outbreak is expected to worsen ahead of the Chinese New Year holiday in late January, when millions are expected to leave hard-hit megacities for the countryside to visit their often elderly relatives. and vulnerable.
And China has taken steps to limit criticism of its chaotic journey out of its “
zero Covid
” policy.
Weibo, China's Twitter, said it recently banned 1,120 accounts for "
offences against experts and scholars
".
"Come out like this"
On Sunday, at Beijing airport, the barriers that separated international arrivals from national arrivals disappeared, as did the staff in protective suits, an essential element of life in “
zero Covid
” China.
And at Shanghai airport, a man named Yang who was arriving from the United States said he was unaware the rules had changed.
"
I had no idea
," he said to AFP.
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“
I would consider myself extremely lucky if I only had to do a two-day quarantine, but it turns out I don't have to do quarantine at all, and no paperwork, we went out like that , just like in the past
,” he added.
An expected influx of visitors
Major tourist destinations in Asia are expecting an influx of Chinese visitors.
In Seoul, Son Kyung-rak is already preparing to welcome a tide of Chinese travellers.
“
We are looking to hire and increase inventory
,” he says at his pancake stand in the Myeongdong district.
“
Chinese tourists are our first customers, the more the merrier
”.
In Tokyo, cartoonist Masashi Higashitani is brushing up on his knowledge of Mandarin in anticipation of the return of his Chinese clients.
But although impatient to find these tourists, he said he "
also fears that we have to be more careful about anti-virus measures
".
Hong Kong opens
In Hong Kong, strict travel restrictions to and from the rest of China also eased on Sunday.
Hong Kong's recession-hit economy is desperate to return to growth, and families are eagerly awaiting Chinese New Year reunions.
Up to 50,000 Hong Kongers can now cross the border daily at three land checkpoints after registering online.
In addition, another 10,000 people are allowed to enter by sea, air or bridge without needing to register in advance, Chief Executive John Lee said.
On Sunday at the Lok Ma Chau checkpoint near the city of Shenzhen, a student from mainland China, named Zeng, told AFP he was happy to be able to cross without further restrictions.
"
I'm happy as long as I don't have to be quarantined - it was so unbearable
," Zeng told AFP.
He says he was confined to his quarantine room, where the internet signal was weak, for 21 days the last time he visited the mainland in early 2022.
