China will no longer require negative COVID-19 test results for incoming tourists starting Wednesday (30/8).
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin while announcing the change at a press briefing on Monday (28/8), said, “Starting from August 30, 2023, people coming to China will no longer be required to take a coronavirus nucleic acid test or an antigen test. previously.”
This is a milestone in ending the virus restrictions imposed in China since early 2020.
China only ended its “zero-COVID” policy in December, after years of strict restrictions that have sometimes included city-wide closures and long-term quarantines of infected people.
As part of the measure, arriving tourists are required to quarantine for weeks at government-appointed hotels.
The restrictions slowed the economy of the world’s second largest country, leading to rising unemployment and rare riots. (ab/uh)