28 December 2022
Highlight
On December 26, 2022, China’s National Health Commission announced that the novel coronavirus pneumonia will be renamed as novel coronavirus infection. The management of COVID-19 infection will be downgraded from Class A to Class B and a series of new measures will take effect from January 8, 2023 towards the COVID-19 infection. According to the announcement, the centralized quarantine as well as Health Declaration Code application for all China arrivals will be cancelled.
The Details
Starting from January 8, 2023, inbound travelers to China are required to take a PCR test 48 hours before departing for China and have a negative test result. If the result shows positive, they should only travel after recovery from COVID-19. Upon arrival in China, they are required to fill out a Health Declaration Card with the PCR test result at the Customs.
In addition, the following measures will be removed after January 8, 2023:
Meanwhile, the National Immigration Administration of China issued a notice on December 27, 2022 to confirm, among other things, resumption of the following policies starting from January 8, 2023:
What this means
This is certainly a major milestone in the China’s COVID-19 control and prevention journey. While a much more flexible entry process is now in place, there are still some immigration visas/schemes remain suspended (for example, tourist visa application, visa-free policy for Singaporean, Japanese and Bruneian etc.).
We have already observed an increasing trend of inbound and outbound travellers, and now with travel restrictions have been almost fully lifted, we believe the increase for international travels is inevitable. For those who previously have Chinese visas that obtained prior to March 28, 2020 and not yet expired, it is suggested to check and confirm if the visas remain valid and seek professional support where necessary.
Finally, companies should continue to pay close attention to the latest changes of the relevant policies on COVID-19 control measures and immigration policy. It is also recommended to review the mobility policy, deployment model, compensation strategy, tax arrangement and remote work policy etc. and make any necessary changes and updates.
Contact us
Please reach out to your usual Vialto Partners contact should you have any questions on the above. Or alternatively:
www.vialtopartners.com
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