China reopens borders to tourists after three years of COVID closure – Saudi Gazette

China reopens borders to tourists after three years of COVID closure – Saudi Gazette

BEIJING — China has reopened its borders to international visitors for the first time since it imposed travel restrictions in March 2020.

Incoming travelers will no longer need to quarantine — marking a significant change in the country’s COVID policy as it battles a surge in cases.

They will still require proof of a negative PCR test taken within 48 hours of traveling. The move has been welcomed by many eager to reunite with family.

In Hong Kong, 400,000 people are expected to travel into mainland China in the coming weeks with long queues for flights into cities including Beijing and Xiamen.

On Sunday, double-decker coaches packed with travelers arrived at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge to catch buses to the Guangdong province — among them were college students returning home.

One man told the BBC he hadn’t seen his extended family in five years and could not hold back his excitement, having just bought a ticket back to China.

A woman told news agency Reuters she had not seen her parents in years — despite one of them suffering from colon cancer — and said she was “so, so happy”.

The country’s reopening comes at the start of “chun yun”, the first period of Lunar New Year