Good News: 2021 Inland Travel to China Likely
7 Minutes Read
• China is ramping up efforts to vaccinate 560 million people, or 40% of China's population, by the end of June, and another 330 million people will be vaccinated by the end of the year, covering 64% of the total population.
Notice Issued by the People’s Daily
Furthermore, as reported earlier, Wu Zunyou, chief epidemiologist of the China CDC, said on March 2 that travel restrictions between China and the United States could be lifted in August or September, and 14-day quarantine exemption could become in place. As there are no community-transmitted COVID-19 cases in China currently, while 90% of the Americans is likely to be vaccinated and achieve mass immunization before August. From the perspective of disease control, China and the United States could take the lead in canceling travel restrictions on each other.
Program of Vaccine Passport Started
As to promote the recovery of international tourism, more than 20 countries / regions have started vaccine passport programs, including the UK, France, Spain, New Zealand, Denmark, Sweden, Iceland, Greece, Israel, Hungary, Georgia, Cyprus, Estonia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Poland, Romania and Seychelles. Although the specific implementation policies will vary from country to country, vaccine passport holders are expected to be exempted from entry testing and quarantine procedures or shorten the quarantine period.
However, according to the Paper, as of now, the adoption of vaccine passport isn’t recommended by the WHO, as the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine still needs further evaluation and consideration. Besides, there are differences in vaccines and vaccination methods in different countries, which will lead to differences in the reliability of vaccine passport.
Representional image of a COVID-19 Passport
Will the Vaccine Passport be Admitted in China?
Per Zhu Zhengfu, a Member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, he will propose to replace the 14-day quarantine for inbound passengers with COVID-19 test and vaccine passport, and to promote the domestic vaccine passport in China, with which travel in China can be free of nucleic acid test.
While according to Mi Feng, a spokesman for National Health Commission, China's remote anti-pandemic measures will also be considered in combination with the vaccination factors of the COVID-19 vaccine across the world.
Are Inbound Travelers Quarantined after Vaccination?
On February 2, 2021, an announcement about the new regulations for passengers who have been vaccinated to enter China was released by the Embassy of the PRC in Singapore, which clearly stated that nucleic acid test, serum IgM antibody tests and 14-day compulsory quarantine shall also be carried out.
The Announcement Issued by the Embassy of the PRC in Singapore
Therefore, according to the National Health Commission, until now, there has been no difference in the anti-epidemic regulations for entry personnel being vaccinated against the virus or not.
China Accelerates Vaccination To Form Herd Immunity Sooner
China is ramping up efforts to vaccinate 560 million people, or 40 percent of China's population, by the end of June, and another 330 million people will be vaccinated by the end of the year, covering 64 percent of the total population, the Global Times has learned.
Officials from regional branches of the CDC across the country were summoned on Tuesday via a televised meeting to prepare for the acceleration of mass inoculations with higher targets and faster rates. The accelerated vaccination campaign is aimed at catching up with the countries leading in vaccination rates as fast as possible to avoid an "immunization gap".
Sources: People's Daily, Global Times.
READ MORE
March: ALL Flights In & Out of China
China is Ready to Issue Digital Currency
China & US Could Lift Travel Restrictions in August
Vaccine Passport & Quarantine Exemption To Be Discussed