China shortens quarantine on entry – but rules remain strict EU parliament agrees on energy investment funds

China has relaxed its strict corona access restrictions a bit. According to a statement from the Beijing Health Commission on Friday, travelers will have to spend five days in a central hotel quarantine after arrival instead of the previous seven. This can be followed by a three-day quarantine in your own home.

Previously, three days of home isolation were also mandatory. Part of the new rules is that travelers only have to submit one negative corona test within 48 hours before departure to China and no more two.

The duration of the forced quarantine for people identified as close contacts of a corona-infected person within China has also been shortened. They now have to be in isolation for eight days instead of ten.

Strict zero covid strategy

As the rest of the world tries to live with the virus, China continues to pursue a strict zero-Covid strategy of lockdowns, mass testing every day, strict controls, contact tracing and forced quarantine. Still, the number of new infections has risen sharply in recent weeks, while the easily contagious omicron variants are spreading rapidly. The Health Commission reported more than 10,500 new corona cases on Friday, which is unusually high for China.

According to foreign estimates, there are currently travel restrictions on many millions of people who are responsible for about a tenth of the economic output.

In addition to entry quarantine and recurring lockdowns, there are plenty of other restrictions in daily life. In order to live or shop normally in the megacities, people usually have to prove a negative PCR test on their Corona app that is not older than 48 or 72 hours.

They also have to scan themselves with their mobile phones everywhere at the entrance so that their movements can be tracked. (sda/dpa)