After three years of pandemic border restrictions, China is fully reopening to foreign visitors – including tourists. In a statement posted on its website Monday, China's Embassy in the United States said the country would resume issuing all categories of visas for foreigners from Wednesday. Travelers who had been issued multi-year visas before March 28, 2020 – the date China closed its borders to overseas visitors – will be allowed to use them, if they have not expired. In February, following an abrupt relaxation of Beijing's "zero-Covid" policy, Chinese authorities declared a "major and decisive victory" against the virus that swept the country. The decision to drop restrictions is part of China's attempt to revive its economy, after a year of – by China's impressive standards – anemic growth, stymied by stringent pandemic restrictions. In 2022, its economy grew by 3%, the second lowest in nearly half a century – behind only that of 2020. |
Macao is one of China's many regions bracing itself for the return of tourism. |
Last week, China's outgoing Premier Li Keqiang announced a GDP growth target of 5% for 2023 – the country's lowest target in decades – highlighting the domestic and global challenges the world's second-largest economy is facing. Nomura analysts say this relatively unambitious target suggests "the government is conservative but pragmatic about economic prospects" for the year ahead. Tourism will play its part in helping to return China's economy to pre-pandemic levels. But luring people back may prove difficult. In 2022, China registered 115 million cross-border trips – far below the 670 million journeys in 2019. Foreigners, who accounted for 97.7 million visits in 2019, fell to just 4.47 million last year, as Covid restrictions kept almost everyone but citizens out. But the easing of restrictions may help to boost these figures. According to the embassy's statement, visa-free entry will resume to the southern island of Hainan, for cruise ships visiting Shanghai, and for groups arriving from Hong Kong and Macao. Hong Kong has already begun its efforts to lure tourists back. The city announced last month plans to pay some tourists to visit: the city is giving away half a million free airline tickets, under its "Hello Hong Kong" initiative. Macao, which once had one of the world's strictest restrictions, is preparing for increasing demand – reimagining post-pandemic tourism. Air Macau has been adding more flights from Singapore and Taipei, two of its biggest markets, and will introduce more mainland China routes by March 26.
The city is hoping to rekindle its gaming industry, which made up 80% of its revenue before the pandemic. Often called the "Vegas of Asia," Macao is the only place in China where gambling is legal – and rakes in six times as much revenue as its American rival, Las Vegas, in a typical year. Numbers are still down on pre-pandemic levels. In January 2019, 3.4 million tourists came to Macao, with most traveling from mainland China. In January 2023, 1.4 million visited, largely during the Lunar New Year holiday.
IN OTHER NEWS
The US rescinded special Covid testing rules for people traveling from China on Friday, according to a news release from the US Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. These targeted requirements were put in place on January 5, after Beijing's abandonment of zero-Covid restrictions sparked a huge wave of cases. The CDC said that the order was put in place because of "concerns that Covid-19 cases were surging" in China. Many other countries imposed similar restrictions on travelers from the country, spurred by fears that variants of concern could emerge. However, the CDC said it now has more confidence that things have gotten better in China, leading it to lift the restrictions. Travelers from China, Hong Kong and Macao no longer need to show proof of a negative test or of recent infection in order to enter the US.
As well as figuring out how to lure back tourists, Hong Kong is grappling with another question: what to do with 40,000 empty quarantine units? The city with the world's most expensive property market has found itself with some additional real estate on its hands: vast Covid quarantine camps the city built during the pandemic to isolate hundreds of thousands of people and which currently lie empty and unused. In a city where even a parking space can sell for close to $1 million, there are calls to turn this temporary accommodation into something more permanent. What is Hong Kong planning? Read the full report here.
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Global Cases 676,609,955 Global Deaths 6,881,955 |
| US Cases 103,804,263 US Deaths 1,123,836 |
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Source: Johns Hopkins University |
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Q How can we help people living with long Covid? A While much of the world has dropped pandemic precautions, life has yet to return to normal for millions still struggling with long Covid after their initial infection. Data from the US Department of Health and Human Services suggest up to 30% of those who get Covid either experience persistent symptoms like brain fog and fatigue, or develop new symptoms, even after mild or asymptomatic cases. To help alleviate the health challenges your friends or family may face, finding ways to conserve their energy is crucial. According to Ryan Prior, author of "The Long Haul: Solving the Puzzle of the Pandemic's Long Haulers and How They Are Changing Healthcare Forever," simple tasks like picking up shopping, cooking and cleaning can be a huge help to those suffering from long Covid. Other practical ways to support your friends may include calling the pharmacy, collecting prescriptions and accompanying them to the doctor's office. "All that stuff becomes overwhelming. And insofar as you can pick up a handful of relatively basic tasks and offer to do those for somebody, that could be pretty life-changing," Prior says. | Send your questions here. Are you a health care worker fighting Covid-19? Message us on WhatsApp about the challenges you're facing: +1 347-322-0415.
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As well as battling with health challenges, those with long Covid must also overcome the social stigma they can face in their quest to get better. "There is a sort of toxic idea that people with complex illnesses or invisible illnesses are making it up or faking," Prior explains. He added that it's important to communicate "you understand that they're going through something and that you see them, even if you can't really fully understand what they're going through." While much of the world is eager to move on from the pandemic, not everyone has been so lucky. If someone you know is still struggling with long Covid, these are steps you can take to help make their life easier. Read the full report for more of Prior's tips. |
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CORONAVIRUS: FACT vs FICTION |
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