Mainland China is considering cutting the time inbound visitors from foreign countries have to remain in Covid-19 isolation, from 10 to seven days, Bloomberg reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter.
Mainland China currently requires incoming travellers to be isolated for 10 days upon entry into the country, with seven days of quarantine in a hotel room, followed by three days of home monitoring.
Officials are now targeting a cut in the quarantine period to two days in a hotel and then five days at home, Bloomberg said.
The National Health Commission did not comment on Bloomberg’s report.
The reported cut in quarantine comes as Beijing boosts measures to stop Covid-19, strengthening public check-ups and locking down some residential compounds after a quadrupling of its case load in recent weeks.
The news agency said there was no clarity on how the new rules on home quarantine would apply to foreigners and other visitors without a residence in mainland China.
In recent days, China has repeated its pledge to stick to its zero-Covid policy despite growing public frustration with it and its toll on the economy.
Mainland China last reduced its quarantine requirements on inbound travellers, including Chinese nationals, at the end of June. Since then, more international passenger flights in and out of China have also been allowed to resume.
In Macao, visitors from Hong Kong, Taiwan and foreign countries currently must undergo a seven-day quarantine in a designated hotel, followed by three days of self-health management at home.
On 26 September, Hong Kong officially ended its mandatory quarantine for overseas arrivals although visitors are still required to undergo three days of home medical surveillance, with their movement citywide limited. Last week, Taiwan cancelled its mandatory quarantine and replaced it with a week’s self-health monitoring.
