China announced on Tuesday that it will resume issuing passports to Chinese citizens traveling abroad for tourism or to visit friends or family starting Jan. 8, and will reissue some transit visas for international travelers, according to a statement from the National Immigration Administration.

However, the announcement does not mention the issuance of tourist visas for foreign citizens who wish to visit China, EFE and Agerpres note. Regarding this point, the spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry said that the Beijing government will continue to “dynamically” adjust the visa policy “for foreigners” depending on the pandemic situation related to Covid-19.

The Chinese government eased its anti-epidemic restrictions last month following protests against the zero-contagion policy of COVID-19. Among the mitigating measures is a reduction in quarantine upon entry to five days in a government-mandated hotel plus an additional three days at home, a significant reduction from the 21 or even 28 days previously required in many Chinese cities. The quarantine for international trips will also be finally lifted from January 8.

China is experiencing a surge in Covid-19 cases after the easing of restrictions sparked by protests against anti-epidemic measures that lasted for three years and caused a state of saturation among the population.

Almost a week after protests broke out in China against the zero-contagion policy of COVID-19, Chinese President Xi Jinping in early December assessed that the Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus was less lethal and thus allowed for “more flexibility.” Then the official press began to minimize the risks associated with this option, publishing articles and interviews with experts who support this approach.

Chinese authorities currently no longer publish disease numbers and have changed the methodology for recording deaths so that only deaths caused by respiratory failure caused by Covid-19 are counted as deaths related to the disease.

Read also:

• ‘One million deaths’: What’s next for China after sudden abandonment of ‘zero Covid’ policy, according to several studies
• An explosion of COVID-19 cases in China that authorities say is out of control
• China announces the end of mandatory quarantine upon arrival in the country after almost three years
• Authoritative German virologist says the COVID-19 pandemic is over: “We are facing the first wave of the epidemic”

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