China relaxes Covid-19 testing rules for travellers from S'pore

Travellers heading from Singapore to China are required to do fewer pre-departure tests for Covid-19 following changes announced by the Chinese embassy in Singapore on Friday, even as another district in Beijing went into a semi-lockdown yesterday.

They no longer need to do a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test seven days before flying, or antibody tests, which used to be required. The changes take effect immediately, the embassy said in a notice on its public WeChat account.

But travellers from Singapore are still required to self-isolate for seven days - which can be done at home - before departure, and do two PCR tests two days before and within 24 hours of departure.

They must upload their test results and a letter stating their commitment to self-isolate for seven days on an Internet portal before they can attain a health code, which is necessary for entry into China. Travellers must also do an antigen rapid test within six hours before boarding, on the day of check-in.

No changes were announced regarding quarantine upon arrival, which is at least two weeks depending on the city travelled to.

The changes for Singapore travellers follow China's slight easing of restrictions for those from the United States and Britain as well.

Still, despite the less stringent requirements, China remains one of the most difficult countries for travellers from Singapore to enter, given its current zero-Covid-19 policy towards fighting the pandemic.

"As the Covid-19 pandemic is still surging, and due to high risk of cross-infection during cross-border travel, passengers shall continue to adhere to the principle of 'no travel for non-essential or non-urgent reasons'," the embassy said on Friday.

China is the world's only major economy sticking to a zero-Covid-19 policy. The authorities use a combination of strict lockdowns, frequent testing and tough limits on overseas travel to keep outbreaks at bay.

Despite the changes, Mr Rayvan Ho, chief executive and founder at edutech firm Acktec Technologies, said China's strict border controls still deter him from returning to Beijing, where he has an office.

He noted how a growing number of countries have already done away with PCR tests and self-isolation before flights, adding that China's latest restrictions do not go far enough to motivate him to return. Mr Ho said his partner is running operations in Beijing for now.

Yesterday, the authorities in capital city Beijing ordered Haidian district's residents to work from home, minimise gatherings and refrain from going out.

Anyone entering any neighbourhood in the district, Beijing's second-largest after Chaoyang, must scan their health codes and ensure they have nucleic test results released within the past 48 hours.

Delivery riders will be barred from entering neighbourhoods.

In Chaoyang, the authorities have sent all residents of a large housing complex into quarantine after 26 cases of Covid-19 were found in the compound, the Beijing Youth Daily newspaper reported.

The first infections at the complex were found on May 12, it said.

Chaoyang district remains under semi-lockdown with residents asked to work from home, while some areas of Fengtai district in Beijing remain under lockdown, with dine-in services and in-person classes in schools suspended.

Beijing reported 33 new Covid-19 cases as at 3pm yesterday.

Separately, Shanghai's central Jingan district yesterday ordered all supermarkets and shops to shut and residents to stay home until at least Tuesday, with a mass testing drive to kick off today.