China drops COVID testing for international arrivals

China is dropping its requirement for a negative COVID-19 test result for international visitors beginning Wednesday in its latest step toward reopening the country.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin announced the testing update at a Monday briefing in Beijing.  

China has been slowly ending its pandemic-era restrictions in recent months as the world approaches the fourth anniversary of the emergence of COVID-19. In January, China ended quarantine requirements for its citizens from traveling abroad and has recently expanded the number of countries its citizens can travel to.

The country had only ended its “zero COVID policy” in December after years of tough restrictions. At times, the restrictions included full-city lockdowns and mandatory quarantines for those who were infected.

Visitors to China were previously required to isolate for weeks at a hotel designated by the government, and some residents were even forced to be locked in their homes in an attempt to keep the virus at bay.

These restrictions sparked protests in major cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Nanjing. Shortly after the protests, China abruptly lifted its “zero COVID” policies, which a U.S.-funded study found may have led to nearly 2 million excess deaths in the months following.

Most countries have lifted pandemic-era traveling restrictions as the U.S. lifted its testing requirements in June 2022. However, there has been a recent uptick in late-summer COVID-19 hospitalizations in the U.S., stoking concerns that the virus is spreading.

The Associated Press contributed.