China: Authorities restricting travel in multiple areas, continuing international arrival controls as of Aug. 7 /update 39

Event

Authorities in mainland China are maintaining ongoing international travel controls while significantly expanding localized restrictions due to a COVID-19 outbreak that has spread from Nanjing to multiple cities. As of Aug. 7, provincial-level officials throughout China have instructed residents to avoid all nonessential interprovincial travel. Officials in multiple areas have also imposed travel, business, and gathering controls.

Domestically, the government implements localized restrictions based on the level of disease activity, with the following risk designations in effect:

• Low risk: Locations with no new confirmed COVID-19 cases and no confirmed cases within 14 consecutive days

• Medium risk: Areas where COVID-19 activity does not exceed 50 cases within 14 days, or more than 50 cases have occurred but not within 14 days; no clusters reported within two weeks

• High risk: Places where new confirmed COVID-19 cases surpass 50, and a cluster has emerged within 14 days

As of early August, officials classify parts of Zhangjiajie in Hunan Province, Zhengzhou in Henan Province, Nanjing and Yangzhou in Jiangsu Province, and Ruili in Yunnan Province as high-risk areas. Medium-risk designations apply to over 180 communities, including parts of Beijing and Shanghai, and Fujian, Hainan, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Liaoning, Shandong, Sichuan, and Yunnan provinces. Individuals residing in or with recent travel history to high- and medium-risk areas face travel, movement, and gathering restrictions. Authorities have locked down specific communities in these locations, requiring residents to remain in their homes or provide a negative COVID-19 test result before departing the affected area. Local governments often carry out several rounds of mass testing in medium- or high-risk areas. Officials will continue to erect roadblocks and checkpoints on routes into high- and medium-risk areas in response to further outbreaks and are likely to maintain restricted outbound travel and require testing before residents can leave.

Local governments in most areas require health checks at airports, train stations, and subway stations, regardless of risk level, increasing travel times. Public transport operators in most major cities also require passengers to share health code information before boarding mass transit.

Travel Restrictions
The government continues to ban most foreign nationals from entering China. However, foreigners from most countries with valid residence permits for work, family visits, and personal matters can enter the country. Some immediate family members of foreign employees may obtain entry permission for emergency humanitarian purposes. Specially designated foreign workers with invitation letters from provincial or municipal government officials can also enter the country. Foreigners traveling for work, business, or humanitarian reasons can apply for visas without invitation letters if fully inoculated with Chinese-produced COVID-19 vaccines. Officials ban most foreign travelers from Bangladesh, Belgium, France, India, Italy, the Philippines, Russia, and the UK, regardless of residency status, unless they have received Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccines. Diplomatic personnel and C visa holders, generally flight and shipping crew members, are exempt from entry bans regardless of country of origin. Officials have also banned flights to and from the UK until further notice.

Essential business travel from Singapore and South Korea can occur under fast-track arrangements. Travel is possible between Singapore and Shanghai and Tianjian, as well as Guangdong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Chongqing provinces. A fast-track arrangement for business travelers from South Korea to ten Chinese locations, including Shanghai and Anhui, Jiangsu, Liaoning, and Shandong provinces, is also in place. Companies or government agencies can apply for special passes for inbound visitors, who must test negative for COVID-19 within 48 hours of departure from Singapore or within 72 hours of departure from South Korea and obtain a visa. Passengers must undergo COVID-19 testing upon arrival in China and self-isolate at designated facilities until their results are available. Singapore travelers must also adhere to a preplanned itinerary, refrain from using public transport - except for private hire vehicles - for the first 14 days, and download and use a health pass while in the country. Arriving passengers testing positive for COVID-19 will undergo treatment at their own expense.

Authorities require most inbound passengers to take a nucleic acid COVID-19 test at designated facilities in the country of origin within three days of departure. Officials require all authorized inbound passengers from specified countries to provide evidence of both nucleic acid COVID-19 and IgM antibody tests from designated facilities in the departure country within 48 hours of boarding flights. Travelers from affected locations must also undergo additional COVID-19 tests in each country they transit. Authorities may allow passengers who test positive for COVID-19 antibodies to enter China if they have documentation showing they are fully vaccinated. The measure applies to travelers from Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belarus, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cote d'Ivoire, Denmark, Egypt, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guinea, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, the UAE, the UK, the US, and Vietnam. Authorities could expand testing requirements to other countries at short notice. Most travelers, regardless of nationality or residency, are barred from using land border crossings. Exceptions are in place for cargo transport, though backlogs remain possible at border checkpoints.

All authorized passengers must apply for a health certificate via the local Chinese diplomatic mission before travel. Chinese citizens must update their information through WeChat to obtain a health code before boarding flights. The government continues to conduct health screenings, including body temperature scans and nucleic acid testing, at ports of entry nationwide. International arrivals in some locations, including Beijing, Shanghai, and Qingdao, are subject to mandatory anal COVID-19 swabs. Most international travelers must quarantine for 14 days; officials generally allow nonresident passengers to stay in government-designated hotels at their own cost. However, some governments require inbound travelers to self-quarantine and undergo medical observation for an additional 7-14 days. All arrivals must receive a negative COVID-19 test result in quarantine before release from designated facilities.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) manages international airline flight volume based on COVID-19 testing outcomes for passengers. Authorities could suspend a carrier's route at short notice if more than five passengers test positive for COVID-19. Chinese and US regulators continue to limit available outbound flights to eight per week. Authorities also restrict Chinese airlines' international operations and limit capacity on aircraft. Some airlines continue to suspend services to and from mainland China due to significantly decreased demand.

Advice

Consider postponing nonessential travel to mainland China. Confirm all scheduled international flights. Consult airlines and Chinese diplomatic facilities for details on restrictions prior to any travel. Follow all official instructions and closely monitor official announcements on any other precautionary restrictions. Confirm all travel and business reservations. Allow additional travel time due to screenings at airports, train stations, and other transport hubs. Make allowances for possible business disruptions.

Resources

Beijing Capital International Airport
Shanghai Airport Authority
Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport
World Health Organization