Hundreds of thousands of people in China plan to travel in the coming period after the lifting of coronavirus restrictions
China announced the opening of borders to international travelers for the first time since the outbreak of the Corona epidemic, allowing those coming from abroad to enter the country without undergoing quarantine procedures and allowing the Chinese to leave the country.
The abolition of Chinese restrictions and precautionary measures against the epidemic came amid a new wave of the spread of the Corona virus in many cities nationwide.
The cancellation of travel restrictions, which were aimed at containing the epidemic, coincides with the largest travel season in China, when the exit points entering and leaving the country are crowded to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year.
Chinese airports and the borders with Hong Kong witnessed emotional encounters during the reunion of the families of many friends who were suffering from travel restrictions imposed to limit the spread of the Corona virus.
Many travelers, in the first batches that poured into airports and border crossings in China, expressed their relief at not having to undergo quarantine procedures that were an essential part of life during Beijing’s implementation of the “zero Covid” strategy.
In Hong Kong, which announced the opening of the borders between it and China, reports indicated that about 400,000 people plan to travel north to China in the next eight weeks.
As soon as the abolition of travel restrictions was announced, the Chinese flocked to plans to travel abroad and spend holidays after nearly three years of isolation from the world due to the epidemic, which led to a significant increase in inquiries about trip and vacation details on popular travel sites.
“Unacceptable restrictions”
The great demand for travel on the part of the Chinese, after the restrictions were lifted, prompted a large number of countries in the world to subject those coming from China to tests to detect the Corona virus.
China described the restrictions imposed by other countries on the entry of Chinese people to it as “unacceptable”, although it continues to prevent foreign tourists and international students from entering it.
It is widely expected that the country will witness a sharp rise in the rate of infection in the coming period, entering the Lunar New Year, as millions of Chinese travel from major cities – which are witnessing a widespread spread of the epidemic – to rural areas to visit their elderly relatives who are most at risk in the event of infection with the virus.
And the authorities in Beijing moved to limit criticism they face due to the chaotic cancellation of the “zero Covid” strategy, as the Chinese social networking site Weibo – the alternative to Twitter for social networking – confirmed that 1,120 accounts had been banned due to “insulting experts and scholars.”
The move to cancel travel restrictions was behind a state of joy at Chinese airports and border crossings, as Wu, 20, who was waiting for a friend at Beijing airport, told Agence France-Presse: “The first thing we do is order food. It’s a wonderful feeling, as We haven’t met for a long time.”
She added, “They are studying there, and we can meet them in Beijing, as it has been a year since we last met.”
“I have no idea about that,” Yang, who arrived from the United States at Shanghai airport, told AFP, indicating that he had not heard of the cancellation of Chinese travel restrictions.
Yang added, “I would have considered myself very lucky if I had to undergo a two-day quarantine, but things have completely changed and there is no quarantine at all, no paperwork, we just get out of the airport simply as it used to happen in the past.”
And the Chinese authorities responded to the demands of the protests that prevailed in the country last year by removing unfair local restrictions and precautionary measures against the epidemic.
Since that sudden change in the country’s strategy in this regard, the infection rate has increased in many cities, amid concerns about an increase in the infection rate in rural areas with the continuation of the holiday season.