China to Drop Covid Quarantine for Incoming Travelers

中国放松国际旅行限制，取消入境隔离

China on Monday announced that travelers from overseas would no longer be required to enter quarantine upon arrival, in one of the country’s most significant steps toward reopening since the coronavirus pandemic began.

中国周一宣布，入境人员将不再需要接受隔离，这是自新冠疫情开始以来中国迈向重新开放的最重要措施之一。

From Jan. 8, incoming travelers will be required to show only a negative polymerase chain reaction, or P.C.R., test within 48 hours before departure, China’s National Health Commission said. Limitations on the number of incoming flights will also be eased.

中国国家卫健委表示，自1月8日起，入境旅客只需提供出发前48小时的一次核酸阴性结果。对入境航班数量的限制也将放宽。

The announcement on Monday was the latest reversal in China’s “zero Covid” approach to the virus, which for years saw Beijing seek to eliminate infections.

周一的公告是中国“新冠清零”防疫政策的最新转向，数年来北京都在努力清除感染。

The easing of travel restrictions “basically signals the final end of zero Covid,” said Yanzhong Huang, a senior fellow for global health at the New York-based Council on Foreign Relations.

总部位于纽约的外交关系协会的全球卫生高级研究员黄严忠表示，旅行限制的放松“基本标志着‘新冠清零’的正式结束”。

Officials said that they would “further optimize” the ability of foreigners to apply for visas for business, study or family reunions, without offering specifics.

官员称将会“进一步优化”外籍人士商务、留学、探亲团聚的签证安排。

China will also allow its citizens to resume traveling abroad for leisure in an “orderly” fashion, officials said.

官员表示，中国还将允许公民“有序”恢复出境游。

The end to the international Covid quarantine was part of a broader announcement on Monday that China would downgrade its classification of the coronavirus. Previously, the government treated Covid-19 as a Category A infectious disease, on par with cholera or the bubonic plague.

除了宣布入境新冠隔离的结束，周一的公告还宣称，中国将对新冠病毒的分类进行降级。此前政府将新冠当作甲类传染病管理，与霍乱或鼠疫同级。

Under that categorization, officials had to put in place extensive restrictions to control the spread, including lockdowns and quarantines. Going forward, Covid will be treated as a Category B disease, which includes AIDS and bird flu.

按照这一分类规定，官员必须实施大规模限制措施来控制传播，包括封锁和隔离。接下来新冠将按照乙类传染病管理，此类疾病还包括艾滋病和禽流感。