China Ends Quarantine for Overseas Travelers

People embrace at the international arrivals gate at Beijing Capital International Airport after China lifted the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) quarantine requirement for inbound travelers in Beijing, China January 8, 2023. REUTERS/Thomas Peter
People embrace at the international arrivals gate at Beijing Capital International Airport after China lifted the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) quarantine requirement for inbound travelers in Beijing, China January 8, 2023. REUTERS/Thomas Peter
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China Ends Quarantine for Overseas Travelers

People embrace at the international arrivals gate at Beijing Capital International Airport after China lifted the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) quarantine requirement for inbound travelers in Beijing, China January 8, 2023. REUTERS/Thomas Peter
People embrace at the international arrivals gate at Beijing Capital International Airport after China lifted the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) quarantine requirement for inbound travelers in Beijing, China January 8, 2023. REUTERS/Thomas Peter

China lifted quarantine requirements for inbound travelers on Sunday, ending almost three years of self-imposed isolation even as the country battles a surge in Covid cases.

The first people to arrive expressed relief at not having to undergo the grueling quarantines that were a fixture of life in zero-Covid China.

And in Hong Kong, where the border with mainland China was re-opened after years of closure, more than 400,000 people were set to travel north in the coming eight weeks.

Beijing last month began a dramatic dismantling of a hardline zero-Covid strategy that had enforced mandatory quarantines and punishing lockdowns.

The policy had a huge impact on the world's second-biggest economy and generated resentment throughout society that led to nationwide protests just before it was eased.

At Shanghai's Pudong International Airport, a woman surnamed Pang told AFP Sunday she was thrilled with the ease of travel.

"I think it's really good that the policy has changed now, it's really humane," she said.

"It's a necessary step I think. Covid has become normalized now and after this hurdle everything will be smooth," she said.

Chinese people rushed to plan trips abroad after officials last month announced that quarantine would be dropped, sending inquiries on popular travel websites soaring.

But the expected surge in visitors has led more than a dozen countries to impose mandatory Covid tests on travelers from the world's most populous nation as it battles its worst-ever outbreak.

China has called travel curbs imposed by other countries "unacceptable", despite it continuing to largely block foreign tourists and international students from travelling to the country.

China's Covid outbreak is forecast to worsen as it enters the Lunar New Year holiday this month, during which millions are expected to travel from hard-hit megacities to the countryside to visit vulnerable older relatives.

And Beijing has moved to curb criticism of its chaotic path out of zero-Covid, with its Twitter-like Weibo service saying it had recently banned 1,120 accounts for "offences against experts and scholars".

At Beijing airport Sunday, barriers that once kept international and domestic arrivals apart were gone, as were the "big whites" -- staff in hazmat suits long a fixture of life in zero-Covid China.

One woman, there to greet a friend arriving from Hong Kong, said the first thing they'd do was grab a meal.

"It's so great, we haven't seen each other in so long," Wu, 20, told AFP.

"They are studying over there, and we can meet each other directly in Beijing... It's been a year," she added.

At Shanghai airport, one man surnamed Yang who was arriving from the United States said he had not been aware that the rules had changed.

"I had no idea," he told AFP.

"I'd consider myself extremely lucky if I only need to do quarantine for two days, turned out I don't have to do quarantine at all, and no paperwork, we just walked out like that, exactly like in the past," he added.

"I'm quite happy not needing to be in quarantine," another woman being picked up by her boyfriend who declined to give her name told AFP.

"Who wants to be in quarantine? Nobody."



Türkiye Denies Overflight Permission for a Plane Carrying Israel’s President

Israeli President Isaac Herzog speaks during a meeting with US President Joe Biden in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on November 12, 2024. (AFP)
Israeli President Isaac Herzog speaks during a meeting with US President Joe Biden in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on November 12, 2024. (AFP)
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Türkiye Denies Overflight Permission for a Plane Carrying Israel’s President

Israeli President Isaac Herzog speaks during a meeting with US President Joe Biden in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on November 12, 2024. (AFP)
Israeli President Isaac Herzog speaks during a meeting with US President Joe Biden in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on November 12, 2024. (AFP)

Türkiye has denied Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s plane the right to use its airspace, preventing him from traveling to Azerbaijan, the Turkish state-run news agency reported.

The Anadolu Agency report late Sunday said Israeli authorities requested permission for the plane to access the Turkish airspace on its way to Baku, Azerbaijan, where Herzog was scheduled to attend the COP29 conference on climate change.

The agency based its report on unnamed Turkish officials. It did not say when the permission was denied.

A statement from Herzog's office said the decision to cancel the president's trip to Baku was due to “the situation assessment and for security reasons.” It did not comment on the Turkish report.

Türkiye has emerged as one of the strongest critics of Israel’s military actions in Gaza and Lebanon. It has suspended trade relations with Israel, accused the country of genocide and voiced support to Hamas.