COVID-19 in China latest updates: Beijing ends quarantine for overseas travellers

An official from China's National Health Commission said on Sunday (January 8) that emergency and severe Covid cases may peak in the country's small and medium-sized cities. Jiao Yahui, the NHC official, told state broadcaster CCTV that the demand for emergency and critical care in China's large cities had likely peaked, but the Lunar New Year travel could trigger faster-rising cases in smaller cities and rural areas, news agency Reuters reported. 

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According to the country's aviation regulator, Thailand will require international travellers to show proof they are fully vaccinated for Covid before flying to Thailand. 

The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) said in a statement on Saturday that starting early Monday, all foreign arrivals beginning early on Monday must prove they are vaccinated or provide a letter certifying that they have recovered from COVID within six months.

Unvaccinated travellers must show a medical certificate explaining why they have not received the vaccine.

CAAT said airlines would be responsible for checking documents before passengers board and has released a list of how many doses are required for various types of COVID-19 vaccines on its website.

The new measure will remain in effect until the end of January, CAAT said.

Official from China’s National Health Commission said demand for emergency and critical COVID cases is likely to peak in small and medium sized cities, as well as rural areas due to the Lunar New Year travel.

On Sunday (January 8), state broadcaster CCTV published an interview with Jiao Yahui, an official from the National Health Commission who said that demand for emergency and critical care in China's large cities had likely peaked but the annual Spring Festival travel could trigger fast rising cases in smaller cities and rural areas.

Some 80 percent of ICU beds in China's top- and second-tier hospitals were in use, up from 54 percent on December 25, she said, adding that the country's medical services to treat COVID were facing an "unprecedented challenge".

Health officials speaking at a press conference said they would not rule out the possibility of taking emergency COVID prevention measures such as suspending non-essential large scale activities and business at large entertainment venues to deal with large outbreaks.

Reuters report

The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention said on Sunday that China reported two new COVID-19 deaths in the mainland for Jan. 7, compared with three deaths a day earlier. 

That brings the official death toll to 5,269.

Hugging her boyfriend goodbye, student Yuri Tan was among hundreds excitedly heading north across Hong Kong's border with mainland China on Sunday as pandemic travel restrictions were mostly lifted, finally allowing separated families to reunite.

"I am going back because I don't have to undergo quarantine anymore," an elated Tan told AFP, clutching luggage containing a few boxes of fever medication for family.

Tan, 23, was planning to travel to Shenzhen just across the border from Hong Kong and then take a connecting flight to her hometown of Yangzhou in eastern China, a journey that until recently would have meant weeks in mandatory isolation first. 

AFP report

Video spreading on social media showed that scores of workers have clashed with police at a Covid test kit factory in China. 

Footage geolocated by AFP to an industrial park in the southwestern city of Chongqing shows people tossing crates at a group of uniformed men, sending a shower of what appear to be test kits flying. 

But AFP also mentioned that it could not confirm exactly when the videos were captured. Although multiple social media users claimed that the clash took place on Saturday night into Sunday morning. 

China has ended quarantine requirements for inbound passengers. this comes as Beijing moves forward with the idea of relaxing some of its strict Covid measures. 

The quarantine for overseas travellers was lifted after almost three years of self-imposed isolation even as the country battles a surge in Covid cases. 

The first people to arrive expressed relief at not having to undergo the gruelling quarantines that were a fixture of life in zero-Covid China.