Beijing mandates COVID test for all CNY returns and arrivals

Pros: Dropping your travel plans has never been easier 

Itching to get away from the capital for the coming holiday? You might want to rethink these plans, again. While cases are still being recorded in Beijing, anyone searching for a change of scenery during the Chinese New Year might find more cons than pros to taking up domestic travel opportunities.

Beijing has mandated COVID-19 testing for anyone who's coming into the capital during the CNY travel rush that's chunyun, which commences tomorrow Jan 28 and lasts 'till March 15, said the city officials during a press conference today. 

Anyone, including those coming back into Beijing from low-risk areas, will have to complete a nucleic acid test valid within the last seven days before their arrival, according to the city officials. 

And those who plan to stay in the city for more than two weeks will need to get another two tests upon arrival – with the first test being carried out on the seventh day and the second on the fourteenth day – all the while seeing through 14 days of health monitoring. 

The slightly more positive news? A whole lot of restrictions on movement means a whole lot less hassle to change your last-min travel plans, so much so the aviation officials have required domestic airlines to offer a free refund or reschedule for flights taking off during the CNY travel period, according to local news. 

All domestic flights purchased from midnight, Jan 27, and with the departure dates running from Jan 28 to March 9 are now entitled to a free refund or at least one free rescheduling. The same goes for train tickets, according to railway officials, who have introduced similar measures to enable free reschedule of train tickets within 24 hours of the departure time. 

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