Chinese authorities have partially relaxed COVID-19 entry restrictions. Effective immediately, travellers must present only one instead of two negative PCR test results upon arrival. The test must have been taken within 48 hours of departure. In addition, the mandatory hotel quarantine has been reduced from seven to five days, with the requirement to subsequently isolate at home for another three days remaining in place.

Under the new guidelines, people who are identified as close contacts of Covid-19 cases will also have shortened quarantine at centralized government-operated facilities, down from seven days plus another three days at home, to five days and three days at home.

In addition, government health officials are no longer required to report secondary close contacts in many circumstances.

China has reported 268,753 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, including 5,226 deaths, since the first cases were reported in Wuhan city in December 2019.