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Chu Wenhong is packing her things: the native Chinese is getting ready for her flight to Shanghai in mid-January.
A few days earlier, entry restrictions for China were eased.
Just in time for the Chinese New Year celebrations, which began on January 22 this year.
Chu Wenhong, a native of China:
»I can finally go back.
Even if the ticket is expensive.
But the Chinese New Year is coming up and I want to spend the holidays with my family.”
Her family lives in Shanghai.
She, on the other hand, has lived in Singapore since 1994 and has even had citizenship for ten years.
For three years, the 54-year-old has only seen her family via video chat.
Chu Wenhong, a native of China:
»I worry about my parents.
Both had Covid and are quite old.
Luckily they got over the illness, but their health is still not good.
That's why I want to go to China as soon as possible to see her."
In response to nationwide protests against China's zero-Covid policy, cities like Beijing relaxed their measures at the end of 2022 - despite rising infection numbers.
In December, China even announced nationwide easing.
Since then, people who have tested positive no longer have to be quarantined, lockdowns of entire districts are a thing of the past, and Chinese people have been able to travel again with almost no restrictions since January 8th.
The population wants to use the new freedom to travel – the demand is high.
In northern China, the infection peak is said to have been reached at the end of 2022.
According to the Chinese government, almost 60,000 people died from and with Covid-19 from the beginning of December to mid-January.
However, this number only takes into account deaths that were registered in hospitals.
However, it is questionable how reliable this information is.
According to the British health data company Airfinity, around 1.47 million people may have died since the beginning of December.
Reports of crematoria that were overcrowded nationwide made the rounds.
Contrary to fears, however, according to the current state of knowledge, no new wave of infections has been triggered by the lifting of entry restrictions and the New Year celebrations.
This could also be due to the fact that there is already a certain basic immunity in the population.
Chinese epidemiologists assume that around 80 percent of the 1.4 billion Chinese have been infected since the beginning of the pandemic.
After a flight of almost six hours, Chu Wenhong landed in Shanghai.
She covers the last few kilometers in a taxi.
Chu Wenhong, a native of China:
»It's almost time: I've been waiting for this for three years.
I will enjoy every moment with my mother.
I haven't seen her in so long.
My father, my younger sister and my niece are there too.«
Cao Yafang, mother:
»She has hardly changed and is fine - now we are reassured.
She told me that she worries a lot about us and couldn't sleep properly.
That's why we have to visit each other more often in the future.«
Countless other families in the country also celebrated the Chinese New Year.
Since the relaxation of the corona measures, 2.9 million people have entered and left the country - the Chinese border authorities announced in early February.
Despite the increase, there are still significantly fewer trips than before the pandemic.
This is probably also due to the fact that tourists without Chinese citizenship are still not allowed to enter the country.
