In a significant easing of Covid controls, the Chinese government said Wednesday that people will no longer need to show negative virus tests or health codes in order to travel between different parts of the country. There will be no regular massive PCR tests in communities, no lockdowns, no quarantines.
Major cities, like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou had lift the requirement of showing health codes when taking public transports. Beijing also stopped the pop-up window on health codes for those coming back from other provinces. It’s expected that other cities will follow up soon this week.
The state council released holiday schedule in 2023 yesterday. Searching volume for flights and trains rocketed by 300-900% on major OTAs like Trip.com/Fliggy/Tongcheng. The coming new year holiday will witness a strong rebound in travel.
Unverified sources indicate that China will lift international travel restrictions by the congress meeting in March 2023, or even earlier. Overseas travelers coming into China will be completely free by May day holiday in 2023.
