China says it has on Sunday, lifted quarantine requirements for inbound travellers.
This is coming barely three years after self-imposed isolation even though the country is still battling with COVID-19 cases.
It was learnt that the first people to arrive expressed a bit relief at not having to undergo the gruelling quarantines that were a fixture of life in zero-Covid China.
In Hong Kong, where the border with mainland China was re-opened after years of closure, more than 400,000 people were set to travel north in the coming eight weeks.
Beijing last month began a dramatic dismantling of a hardline zero-COVID strategy that had enforced mandatory quarantines and punishing lockdowns.
The policy had a huge impact on the world’s second-biggest economy and generated resentment throughout society that led to nationwide protests just before it was eased.
At Shanghai’s Pudong International Airport, a woman surnamed Pang told AFP Sunday she was thrilled with the ease of travel.
“I think it’s really good that the policy has changed now, it’s really humane,” she told AFP.
“It’s a necessary step I think. Covid has become normalised now and after this hurdle everything will be smooth,” she said.
AFP