BEIJING: China’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday (Apr 25) that all inbound travellers will only need to show COVID-19 antigen test results taken within 48 hours before boarding flights starting Saturday, dropping the PCR test requirement.
Currently, China requires inbound travellers from some countries to take PCR tests before entering the country, including the United States, South Korea and Japan.
Testing requirements were already eased in March for travellers from several countries, including Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Cambodia and New Zealand.
The Chinese embassy in Singapore said on Mar 1 the rules were being relaxed “in accordance with the current situation of (the) COVID-19 pandemic and to facilitate people-to-people exchanges”.
After three years of strict COVID-19 restrictions, China announced a nationwide easing of curbs last December.
About a month later on Jan 8, it scrapped quarantine measures for overseas arrivals, requiring travellers to take a PCR test 48 hours pre-flight to enter China.