After three years of self-imposed isolation, China has eased border restrictions, dismantling the final pillar of a zero-Covid policy that had shielded citizens from the virus but also cut them off from the rest of the world.
The first people to arrive on Sunday expressed relief at not having to undergo the gruelling quarantines that were a fixture of life in zero-Covid China.
And 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.
Travellers crossing between Hong Kong and mainland China, however, are still required to show a negative Covid-19 test taken within the last 48 hours — a measure China has protested when imposed by other countries.
On a visit to the station on Sunday morning, Hong Kong’s Chief Executive John Lee said the sides would continue to expand the number of crossing points from the current seven to the full 14.
“The goal is to get back as quickly as possible to the pre-epidemic normal life,” Lee told reporters. “We want to get cooperation between the two sides back on track.”
READ MORE: China lifts quarantine for inbound travellers amid Covid spike
Dismantling zero-Covid
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.
Limited ferry service had also been restored from China’s Fujian province to the Taiwanese-controlled island of Kinmen just off the Chinese coast.
The border crossing with Russia at Suifenhe in the far northern province of Heilongjiang also resumed normal operations, just in time for the opening of the ice festival in the capital of Harbin, a major tourism draw.
China’s borders remain largely sealed, however, with only a fraction of the previous number of international flights arriving at major airports.
Beijing’s main Capital International Airport was expecting eight flights from overseas on Sunday, according to the airport.
That number is expected now to tick upward, with booking inquiries for overseas flights overwhelming some online travel services ahead of the Lunar New Year travel rush later this month.
China’s Covid outbreak is forecast to worsen as it enters the holiday, during which millions are expected to travel from hard-hit megacities to the countryside to visit vulnerable older relatives.
READ MORE: Who has imposed Covid-19 rules on travellers from China?
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