Non-vaccinated air travelers will be also able to enter but they will need to show proof of a negative Covid-19 test. On Monday, Hong Kong declared the U.S., France, and 14 other countries as high-risk for COVID-19, meaning that Hong Kong travelers from a total of 25 countries would now have to stay in 21-day mandatory hotel quarantines regardless of vaccination status. Kovrig, an NGO worker and former diplomat, and Spavor, a businessman with a focus on North Korea, were detained following the arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver. When the virus does manage to seep into the country, Chinas government deploys neighborhood- or citywide lockdowns, mass testing, and intensive contact-tracing measures to find infections and halt outbreaks. The city of Guangzhou recently built a $260 million, 5,000-room central quarantine facility to house incoming travelers, stoking fears among experts that China may construct such facilities across the country to maintain border restrictions and long quarantines for years to come. Updated As of May 20, travelers from the United States and Canada no longer have to take a PCR test seven days before flying to China. The city is now effectively stuck in limbo, backed into a corner by its own policies with no easy path out. including those from China or Russia, will not be . The U.S. lifted restrictions Monday on travel from a long list of countries including Mexico, Canada and most of Europe, allowing tourists to make long-delayed trips and family members to reconnect with loved ones after more than a year and a half apart because of the pandemic. But any further opening provokes nervousness. This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Once he tested positive, his colleagues, close contacts and neighbours, and their contacts, numbering tens of thousands in all, were tested and quarantined where necessary. Chinese officials declined to explain. Many have waited for more than a year to reunite with loved ones. [But] when the death rate becomes very low, having COVID-19 could be part of the norm.. But this approach has sowed growing discontent among the public, particularly foreign nationals, who make up nearly 10% of the citys 7.5 million population. If youre in Beijing, you may want to visit this restaurant in a former temple. It has been about 2 years that foreign students cannot come to China, but there are still possibilities that C. More than a year and a half after COVID-19 concerns prompted the U.S. to close its borders to international travelers from countries including Brazil, China, India, South Africa, the U.K. and much . 2. appreciated. Hong Kong doesnt have any real power to decide upon, he added. Updated: 12:08pm, 24 Jul, 2021. That month, Chinas retail sales also grew by 2.5% compared with July, marking the slowest growth rate in over a year due in part to COVID-19 outbreaks and government-imposed lockdowns. Beijing expelled at least 18 foreign correspondents last year, and few Western outlets have been granted visas for new journalists to be based in China, according to the Foreign Correspondents Club of China. See how we collect data and find out why not all countries are included in the statistics. A Warner Bros. Now the the types of visas you can apply for include Z visa, M visa, Q visa, S visa, X visa, etc. The party has several important events it does not want disrupted by covid-19 outbreaks. Last month, online magazine ChinaFile said among 121 China-connected scholars, journalists, former diplomats and civil society workers it surveyed, only 44% said they planned to travel to China once coronavirus restrictions are lifted; 40% said they probably or definitely would not visit, while the rest were unsure. There are a few reasons why Hong Kong has made this decision, said Nicholas Thomas, an associate professor at the Department of Asian and International Studies at the City University of Hong Kong. But if it continues on its current path, theres no telling when China will feel confident enough to reopen the border, or what criteria Hong Kong needs to meet leaving the city at the whim of the central government, simply waiting to be allowed in. But there's one condition: they need to have received a China-made Covid-19 vaccine. Chan refuted that estimate, but didnt provide much hope for an earlier opening either. Officials are fired if cases are found on their patch, so they lock down whole cities to crush even tiny outbreaks. Lots of Chinese are cross about a lack of overseas praise for their countrys strict approach. For which countries are the borders with China open? Canada will finally open its borders, first to Americans, beginning August 9 By Paula Newton, CNN Updated 5:28 PM EDT, Mon July 19, 2021 . Meanwhile, tens of thousands of international students enrolled in Chinese universities have been barred from returning to the country, with many voicing frustrations on Twitter and tagging Chinese diplomats for help to no avail. 2023 Cable News Network. Subscribe to Fortune Dailyto get essential business stories straight to your inbox each morning. The five-yearly party congress in late 2022 is expected to confirm Xi Jinping as the countrys leader for at least another five years. For the most part, citizens and residents could enter the city after serving 14- to 21-day quarantines. On June 28, China announced that it would loosen, but not drop, its requirements for incoming travelers. China is building a wall (or fortified fence) along its border with Myanmar (Asia Times, 19 December 2020). It is not clear how many people were trapped on the subway and rescue efforts remain ongoing across Zhengzhou, a city of 12.6 million on the banks of the Yellow River. (Ambassadors may quarantine at home for 21 days, but only if their residence is a detached house and they are driven there with a police escort.). This week, it further clarified that the change although not yet legislated has already been effective since the announcement, amid confusion over its implementation. Heavy flooding and record rains devastated parts of Henan province on Tuesday, leaving terrified subway passengers clinging to ceiling handles inside flooded cars, trapped up to their necks in rising water. The US on Monday reopened . All our stories relating to the pandemic and the vaccines can be found on our coronavirus hub. According to the World Health Organization, more than 40 countries have started vaccinating. Or you can also apply a new visa to China. The government will have to convince people that they have to and can live with Covid. Though a few of the countrys top scientists have cautiously questioned how long Chinas zero-covid policies may last, there are no signs the government is moving away from its position. Amid its COVID-19 vaccine rollout, in June Hong Kong announced that it would reduce hotel quarantine periods to seven days for fully vaccinated travelers, signaling that the city might have been on the way to reopening as an international travel hub. It will be hard to convince people that living with the virus is not as scary as the party has claimed. S&P Index data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. After three years, China reopens its borders - Aviacionline.com But the mainland authorities have refused. And it isn't just about borders Analysis by Nectar Gan, CNN Updated 8:02 PM EST, Mon November 15, 2021 Link Copied! According to a draft policy document released by Chinas Ministry of Culture and Tourism on September 19, tour groups organized by travel agencies in Chinas border areas will be able to choose their port of entry and exit flexibly.. https://www.wsj.com/articles/china-to-keep-covid-19-border-restrictions-for-another-year-11624361777. All rights reserved. Your browser does not support the