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BEIJING: A populated region in northern China that includes Beijing will ease the restrictions imposed to stop the spread of the new coronavirus, as the country gradually changes to a new normal state amid declining COVID-19 cases.
The municipalities of Beijing and Tianjin, as well as neighboring Hebei province, will reduce their COVID-19 emergency response level to level II from level I starting at midnight on Thursday (April 30), their respective governments said on Wednesday.
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Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei are among the last areas in China to have maintained the highest level of emergency response in the four-tier system.
Many other provinces have eased restrictions on restarting and repairing local economies, with the national daily count of new infections in single digits compared to thousands of cases every day in early February.
With the reduction, Beijing will remove the 14-day quarantine requirements for people arriving from low-risk parts of the country.
People quarantined at home or in a centralized location will also be released from their obligation to isolate themselves, Beijing Deputy Secretary-General Chen Bei said at a press conference.
Furthermore, the Chinese capital will not require residents returning from those areas to be quarantined upon their return.
Beijing’s decision to reduce its emergency response measures came on the same day that China said that Parliament would begin its Key annual meeting in the capital on May 22.
READ: Mainland China Reports 22 New COVID-19 Cases
Beijing has reported 13 cases so far in April, with the latest infections confirmed 14 days ago.
Reducing the emergency response will mean that people in Beijing will not have to wear masks outdoors.
However, the lifting of quarantine rules in the Chinese capital does not apply to foreign arrivals and people traveling from central Hubei province and other high-risk locations.
Travel boom?
Beijing’s relaxation came days before the five-day Labor Day holiday that begins May 1, which could be a boon to the travel, catering and hospitality sectors in other parts of China.
A worker wearing a protective face mask pulls a cart down the street, as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in Beijing, China, on April 28, 2020. (Photo: REUTERS / Thomas Peter)
In the first half hour after Beijing said it was loosening curves, ticket reservations on flights leaving the city increased by more than 15 times, and people were planning trips to cities like Chengdu, Chongqing, Shanghai, and Hangzhou, State media reported, citing Chinese online travel agency Qunar.com.
But most Chinese tourists were expected to stay close to home and take advantage of discounts while taking time off for May Day, the first major holiday since the decline in coronavirus blockades.
Most international travel is left out of the question due to border restrictions imposed by other countries, the lack of flights, and the two-week quarantine that awaits people returning to China.
“I think the Chinese have managed to overcome the first wave of shock caused by the coronavirus outbreak,” said Hu Xijin, editor-in-chief of the Chinese tabloid Global Times, backed by the state.
“Of course, we would have to maintain the necessary vigilance on a social level. I think for most people, this type of surveillance will continue as a habit.”
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