China eases COVID-19 suspension for international flights
China Daily/Asia News Network
BEIJING — China on Sunday shortened its suspension period for inbound international flights carrying Covid-positive passengers, signaling that Beijing could soon ease its strict border controls.
Incoming flights carrying five positive Covid-19 cases, or four percent of the total passengers, will now face a reduced one-week suspension, the Civil Aviation Administration (CAAC) said in a statement.
Previously, if a plane brought in five infected passengers, all flights operated by the responsible airline along the same route were suspended for two weeks.
Flights logging an eight percent passengers positivity rate will be barred for two weeks, CAAC said.
The so-called circuit breaker mechanism has led to travel chaos, with flights into China being cancelled abruptly without the ability to rebook for weeks.
China is the only major economy still holding fast to a zero-Covid strategy with snap lockdowns and long quarantines.
The country’s borders have also remained largely closed since early 2020, halting international tourism.
Hundreds of thousands of Chinese students and workers abroad have been left stranded and complained about paying exorbitant prices to buy tickets back home, with the limited number of flights entering the country routinely suspended.
RELATED STORIES
China relaxes some COVID test rules for US, other travelers
Macau resumes quarantine-free travel with mainland China
Hong Kong bids to resume travel with mainland China
China expects sharp drop in holiday travel due to COVID-19 outbreaks
For more news about the novel coronavirus click here.
What you need to know about Coronavirus.
For more information on COVID-19, call the DOH Hotline: (02) 86517800 local 1149/1150.
The Inquirer Foundation supports our healthcare frontliners and is still accepting cash donations to be deposited at Banco de Oro (BDO) current account #007960018860 or donate through PayMaya using this link.
