by Donald Wood
Last updated: 9:05 AM ET, Mon August 28, 2023
International travelers heading to mainland China will no
longer need to present a negative COVID-19 test before being permitted to enter,
starting on Wednesday, August 30.
According to The
Associated Press, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said during a Monday
press briefing that lifting the mandatory coronavirus testing protocols was a
major milestone in China’s reopening to the rest of the world.
In January, the Asian nation ended quarantine requirements
for Chinese citizens returning home after traveling abroad. The country has
also recently expanded the list of countries travelers can visit and increased
the number of international flights.
Last week, Delta Air Lines expanded its flight
schedule to China by offering 10 weekly flights from Seattle and Detroit to
Shanghai-Pudong International Airport, beginning October 29. In March 2024, the
airline will expand service to PVG from Los Angeles four times each week, a
route that hasn’t been operated since before the pandemic.
The continued moves to lift COVID-related restrictions come
after China enacted a domestic “zero COVID” policy that resulted in city-wide
lockdowns and lengthy quarantines for infected people.
Travelers were previously required to isolate for weeks at
government-designated hotels, which stunted the world’s second-largest economy,
led to rising unemployment and resulted in massive protests against the forced
lockdowns.
Earlier this month, government officials in China announced
that group tours would again be permitted for several countries for the first
time since the coronavirus pandemic. The country’s culture and tourism ministry
revealed that its citizens could participate in group
tours to Australia, Britain, Germany, Japan, South Korea and the United
States, but Canada remained banned.
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