Starting from April 29, travelers to China do not need to have a nucleic acid test and airlines will no longer check the test results before departure. But a rapid antigen test (RAT) taken within 48 hours before departure is still required as there may still be spot checks. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Mao Ning said China will continue to optimize its policies in light of the evolving epidemic situation to ensure the safe, healthy and orderly travel between China and other countries.
Li Tongzeng, Chief Physician in the Respiratory and Infectious Diseases Department at Beijing You'an Hospital, told the Global Times that the risk of removing the Covid-19 nucleic acid test requirement is manageable as the epidemic is at low prevalence in most parts of the world, and China has enough medical resources and a higher vaccination rate to deal with the possible increase of local infections caused by imported cases. Li said that over 80% of people infected with Covid-19 now are those who did not contract the virus before and most people who are infected a second time will have relatively milder symptoms.
International air travel to and from China is recovering at a sluggish pace, with the number of international flights in the first quarter at only 12.4% of the 2019 level. High airfares, limited capacity at airlines, and a backlog getting passports and visas approved are holding back travelers and it will take at least a year to get back to pre-pandemic levels, Subhas Menon, Director General of the Association of Asia-Pacific Airlines said in February.
