The abolition of the centralised quarantine of entry into China and the favourable crew change for foreign crew!

In the evening of 26 December, the National Health Commission released the "General Plan for the Implementation of Category B Control of Novel Coronavirus Infection", which optimizes the management of the movement of Chinese and foreign personnel and eliminates nucleic acid testing and centralized isolation of all personnel upon entry.

No centralised isolation required for entry into China

According to the arrangement, from 8 January 2023, "Category B control" will be implemented for new coronavirus infections. Under the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act, quarantine measures will no longer be implemented for people infected with the new coronavirus and close contacts will no longer be identified; high- and low-risk areas will no longer be designated; the classification and treatment of people infected with the new coronavirus will be implemented and the medical protection policy will be adjusted at an appropriate time; the testing strategy will be adjusted to "testing whenever possible"; and the frequency and content of information dissemination on the epidemic will be adjusted. In accordance with the Law on Health and Quarantine of the State Border, quarantine measures for the management of infectious diseases are no longer applied to incoming persons and goods.

At present, China is still implementing the "5+3" quarantine measures for inbound persons, i.e. five days of centralised quarantine + three days of home quarantine. The latest plan from the Health and Welfare Commission means that from January 8, there will no longer be a need for centralised quarantine upon entry into China.

Data from the Tongcheng travel platform shows that after the news was released, the instantaneous search volume of international air tickets across the platform increased by 850%; the instantaneous search volume of visas increased by 10 times. The top three overseas destinations of most interest to Chinese tourists are: Japan, South Korea and Thailand.

Some countries to check nucleic acid for travellers from China

However, some countries have started to increase their nucleic acid testing requirements for travellers from China, as China lifts controls on people entering the country.

India

The Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has announced that international travellers from Mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan, Thailand and South Korea will be required to carry RT-PCR tests when travelling to India and those found to be symptomatic or positive for COVID-19 on arrival in India will be quarantined.

In addition, from 24 December, 2% of passengers on each international flight in India will be selected for random nucleic acid testing.

South Korea

The Yonhap News Agency also reported that the South Korean Disease Agency has added China to the list of "priority countries for quarantine inspection" on December 16.

The measure is not a restriction on entry, but rather an increase in the screening of people at the quarantine stage at Incheon International Airport who are at high risk of infection and require intensive management. Persons arriving with a body temperature above 37.5 degrees Celsius are usually classified as symptomatic, while the standard for priority quarantine countries is 37.3 degrees Celsius. If a person from a priority country has a body temperature above 37.3 degrees Celsius, he or she will be required to undergo a nucleic acid test together with the person accompanying him or her.

The list will be flexibly adjusted on a weekly basis, taking into account the number of imported cases, the number of confirmed cases in each region, and the increase in the number of tourists entering and leaving the country, the epidemic prevention department said.

Italy

According to Viaggiare Sicuri, the website of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, from 24 December Milan Malpensa Airport will be testing all passengers from China (regardless of nationality) for the new crown nucleic acid on arrival. This policy will be implemented temporarily until 30 January 2023, after which it will be re-evaluated for renewal.

Japan

Japan has tightened restrictions on its entry policy for China and must have an on-the-spot nucleic acid on landing and a negative test to enter the country.

There is a great deal of interest in foreign crew change in domestic ports. E-PORTS understands that foreign crew change will depend on the visa policy and the landing situation in each port, and it is not expected to be fully liberalised any time soon.?For activities such as embarkation and visitation of ships in domestic ports for handover, the details of which will be discussed on a "port by port" basis.E-PORTS covers all ports in China. For more information on the epidemic prevention and control policies in China, please copy the link (www.e-ports.com) or click on E-PORTS website in the menu bar. E-PORTS will quickly and efficiently help you find the relevant information and provide you with the best solution for your business needs.