Chinese officials are debating whether toreduce the amount of time people cominginto the country must spend in mandatoryq uarantine, according to people familiar with the discussions, as the country’s Covid Zero policy leaves it increasingly isolated from the rest of the world.
Bureaucrats are looking at cutting the
quarantine period to two days in a hotel
and then five days at home, said the people, asking not to be identified as the discussions are private. Currently, China requires 10 days of isolation on entry into the country, with seven days confined to a hotel room, and then another three days at home, where people are still monitored and subject to regular testing.
It’s unclear what restrictions would apply to
the new home isolation period, and how it
would apply to foreigners and other visitors
without a residence in China. The move could be included in a new iteration of the nation’s Covid protocol expected to be released soon, the people said. Authorities throughout China use the protocol to guide their response when virus cases emerge.
The shift would need to be approved by
senior leaders, so could still be altered or
not deployed at all, one of the people said.
The National Health Commission, which is
in charge of the protocol, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
