Covid 19; China to reopen borders, scrap quarantine for international travellers from Jan 8

Amid the increasing covid 19 cases, China is to reopen borders. China in a major shift of its coronavirus response policies has announced that it will scrap quarantine for international travellers from January 8 as it reopens its borders and comes out of international isolation after nearly three years.

The National Health Commission (NHC) on Monday announced that COVID-19 management will be downgraded from Class A to B from next month, in the same category as less-severe diseases, such as Dengue fever.

Previously passengers coming from abroad had to mandatorily stay in over two weeks of quarantine in government accommodations, which was gradually reduced to five days with three days of observation. Officials argue that the Omicron variant was not as lethal as the Delta strain, which caused massive casualties all over the world.