China lifts quarantine for travelers three years after the start of the pandemic

The lifting of mandatory quarantine for travelers will be another step in moving away from the “zero tolerance” policy for CORONAVIRUS

From January 8, CHINA will no longer have mandatory quarantine for all travelers entering the country, the National HEALTH Commission of the People's Republic of China announced this, REUTERS reported.

Quarantine for those entering China has been maintained since the beginning of the pandemic, the authorities of the country began to soften it only this fall, the quarantine period was reduced to eight days.

Hong Kong's South China Morning Post writes that the decision "marks the latest step in the end of a three-year zero-tolerance policy for the coronavirus." Since 2020, covid-19 has been classified as a category A infectious disease in China, putting it on a par with bubonic plague and cholera. But, the SCMP writes, now doctors in China have received new instructions, according to which COVID-19 is classified as a category B disease, which no longer requires mandatory isolation. The day before, the National Health Commission stopped publishing daily reports on the number of cases.

The Chinese authorities have long adhered to a policy of "zero tolerance" for the coronavirus. In the country, despite the fact that the pandemic began to decline, strict restrictions and quarantines remained, which could cover entire cities and individual areas. Against this background, protests began in the country, the participants of which gradually, along with demands for easing restrictions, began to put forward political demands.

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On November 11, the National Health Commission of China announced the easing of restrictions on COVID-19 in the country. The home quarantine time for contact persons was reduced to three days and a new categorization of risk areas for covid was introduced: in the absence of new cases in high-risk areas, the level of the announced threat is reduced.

On December 7, after a wave of protests, the Chinese authorities made another decision to ease the policy of "zero tolerance" for the coronavirus. In particular, indiscriminate universal PCR testing was canceled in the country, asymptomatic patients and those with mild COVID-19 were allowed to remain in home quarantine without mandatory hospitalization.

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In addition, the National Health Commission of China has softened the approach to quarantine zones - instead of lockdowns in entire districts and quarters, when cases of the disease are detected, individual buildings and floors will now be quarantined.

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However, the rapid lifting of restrictions led to a new outbreak of the disease. BLOOMBERG, citing data from the National Health Commission, reported that in December almost 250 million people in China were infected with COVID-19 - 18% of the country's population. Data on the outbreak of coronavirus was discussed at a closed meeting of the National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China. In just one day on December 20, 37 million people were infected with COVID-19.