CHINA. In an important step forward for China’s travel industry, government authorities today announced a shortening of the quarantine period for international arrivals and close contacts of confirmed cases from 7+3 (seven days of centralised quarantine and three days of home health observation) to 5+3.
The move is one of 20 optimised measures to further epidemic prevention and control, state media Global Times reported. These measures were announced a day after the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee met to hear a report on the COVID-19 response.
Click here for the full list of measures, courtesy of Bloomberg.
Powerful state-controlled Xinhua News Agency reported that CPC Central Committee General Secretary Xi Jinping presided over the meeting and delivered an important speech.
Importantly, the ‘circuit breaker’ mechanism on inbound flights to China has been cancelled. This ends the practice of cancelling international flights if too many passengers from previous flights test positive on arrival considered a major barrier to visiting China. The change should attract more flights and help reduce ticket prices, Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post noted.
Additionally, the threshold for a positive PCR test will be dropped from 40 to 35.
Passengers on inbound flights will only need to provide one negative nucleic acid test result within the previous 48 hours instead of two.
The Moodie View: The combined measures represent a significant step in the right direction for China’s travel industry with positive repercussion for the country’s travel retail sector, writes Martin Moodie.
Don’t expect the outbound travel floodgates to open for some time and certainly not through the long winter months ahead. Nevertheless, the shortening of the quarantine period, in particular, suggests a phased return to normality is part of the ultimate game plan. Step by step is the message.
In that context, the words of the powerful Xinhua News Agency – China’s highest-ranking state media organisation in China– warrant careful scrutiny.
“It was noted [at the government meeting] that due to the mutation of the virus and the climate during the winter and spring, the scope and scale of outbreaks may expand further, and the COVID-19 prevention and control situation remains grave,” Xinhua reported.
But in an important dual observation certain to reflect government opinion, it added: “The health and safety of the people must be protected to the greatest extent possible, and the epidemic’s impact on economic and social development ought to be minimised, the meeting underscored.” That is, of course, the ultimate balancing act. But the latest measures suggest the tilt is increasingly favourable towards the travel sector.
