China will end quarantines for travelers despite spike in COVID cases
- Jessica Boehm, author of Axios Phoenix
Passengers wait to board a plane at Beijing Daxing International Airport in Beijing, China, on Nov. 19. Photo: CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images
China's National Health Commission announced it will no longer require travelers to quarantine upon entering the country in early January, Bloomberg reports.
Why it matters: The Chinese government is facing a dilemma of how to return to normal, appease protesters, and jump-start the economy while grappling with what's reported as a surge in COVID cases and deaths.
State of play: Beginning Jan. 8, people arriving in China will not have to quarantine, though they will have to show a negative COVID test result within 48 hours of departing for the country, according to the NHS.
- Currently, people have to quarantine for eight days, including five in a designated hotel or facility, per Bloomberg.
Reality check: Although China has stopped publishing daily COVID data, cases are reportedly escalating in some Chinese cities, including Beijing.
- Last week, the head of the World Health Organization said the agency is "very concerned" about the number of severe COVID cases in China, per AP.
- China's vaccination rates, especially among older adults, has lagged behind other countries, and its domestic vaccines are only about 50% effective, the WHO warned.
Threat level: China's COVID death toll could reach almost 1 million people as it reopens over the next several months, some modelling estimates predict.
Go deeper: Beijing faces dilemma as COVID deaths rise