China reduces quarantine for people arriving from abroad

Beijing: China on Tuesday announced an easing of its quarantine requirement for people arriving from abroad but stopped short of lifting what remains a stringent COVID-19 policy compared to most other countries.

Anyone coming from outside the country will be required to stay in a quarantine hotel for seven days, followed by three days of home quarantine, the National Health Commission said in its latest pandemic response plan.

The previous plan called for 14 days in a hotel plus seven days of home quarantine. Some cities, including Beijing, have already reduced the hotel requirement to seven or 10 days in recent weeks, according to Chinese

media reports.

China has kept tight restrictions on international travel under a zero-COVID strategy that seeks to keep the virus out and stop any infections from spreading through lockdowns and mass testing.

Other countries including the United States and Japan have opened their borders at least somewhat as vaccination has reduced the risk of serious cases and death.