Opinion: It’s Time for China to Relax Quarantines for Inbound Travelers

China has maintained strict border controls since the beginning of the pandemic

From scrapping mass nucleic acid testing to unplugging travel tracking and relaxing quarantine requirements, China’s Covid control strategy is undergoing a sweeping overhaul. But further refinement of border controls is still pending despite rising expectations.

Under new pandemic control policies issued Nov. 11, China dropped the so-called “circuit breaker” mechanism that suspended flights that delivered Covid-positive passengers and further reduced centralized quarantine requirements for inbound travelers to five days from seven plus three days of home confinement. Requirements on pre-flight virus tests were also relaxed.