A page turns.
China lifts mandatory quarantine for travelers from overseas on Sunday (January 8), ending three years of self-imposed isolation just as it faces a spike in Covid-19 cases at home.
After three years of some of the most draconian restrictions in the world, which weighed on its economy and ended up sparking protests across the country, China last month abruptly lifted most of its measures to fight the pandemic.
Last act of this dismantling: the end on Sunday of strict quarantines in dedicated hotels to which, since March 2020, all people arriving from abroad have been required to submit.
>> To see: Covid in China: a new threat?
Initially three weeks, the duration of this quarantine had already been reduced to one week last summer, then to five days in November.
The announcement in December of the end of the quarantine prompted the Chinese to make numerous plans to travel abroad, with a dramatic increase in traffic on booking sites.
"We went out like this, just like in the past"
At Shanghai's Pudong International Airport, a woman named Pang told AFP she was pleased with the loosening of the rules.
"I think it's really good that the policy has changed now," she said.
"It's a necessary step, I think. The Covid has normalized now and after this obstacle, everything will be fine," she added.
The outbreak, however, is expected to worsen ahead of the Chinese New Year holiday in late January, when millions are expected to leave hard-hit megacities for the countryside to visit relatives, often old and vulnerable.
And China has taken steps to limit criticism of its chaotic journey out of its "zero Covid" policy.
Weibo, China's Twitter, said it recently banned 1,120 accounts for "offences against experts and scholars".
>> To read: "The end of the roller coaster": in China, the hope of a return to pre-Covid life
On Sunday, at Beijing airport, the barriers that separated international arrivals from national arrivals disappeared, as did the staff in protective suits, an essential element of life in "zero Covid" China.
And at Shanghai airport, a man named Yang who was arriving from the United States said he was unaware the rules had changed.
"I had no idea," he said to AFP.
"I would consider myself extremely lucky if I only had to do a two-day quarantine, but it turns out I don't have to do quarantine at all, and no paperwork, we went out like this , just like in the past,” he added.
Seoul expects a tide of Chinese travelers
Major tourist destinations in Asia are expecting an influx of Chinese visitors.
In Seoul, Son Kyung-rak is already preparing to welcome a tide of Chinese travellers.
“We are looking to hire and increase inventory,” he says at his pancake stand in the Myeongdong district.
"Chinese tourists are our first customers, the more the merrier".
In Tokyo, cartoonist Masashi Higashitani is brushing up on his knowledge of Mandarin in anticipation of the return of his Chinese clients.
But although eager to find these tourists, he says "also concerned that we have to be more careful about anti-virus measures".
>> To see: China: in Shanghai, in a hospital overwhelmed by the outbreak of Covid-19 cases
In Hong Kong, strict travel restrictions to and from the rest of China also eased on Sunday.
Hong Kong's recession-hit economy is desperate to return to growth, and families are eagerly awaiting Chinese New Year reunions.
Up to 50,000 Hong Kongers can now cross the border daily at three land checkpoints after registering online.
In addition, another 10,000 people are allowed to enter by sea, air or bridge without needing to register in advance, Chief Executive John Lee said.
With AFP
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