PCR health declarations eased for people entering China
Travelers go through border checks at an airport in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, in September 2021.
People entering China no longer need to state their PCR test results, COVID-19 infection history or vaccination dates in health declaration in order to improve efficiency, China's General Administration of Customs said.
The new rules are effective from August 31.
In the updated version of the health declaration, a consent form about collecting people's throat swab samples will be added to save time in subsequent testing upon arrival, the customs said last night in a public statement.
It said the changes are aimed at improving efficiency, rather than relaxing pandemic prevention rules. Travelers are still required to undergo PCR tests to get green health codes to board a returning flight.
Customs encouraged people to fill in the health declaration form online as it was considered easier and quicker.
People can declare their health condition via the WeChat mini program "海关旅客指尖服务," webpage, mobile phone app 掌上海关, or on a paper form, 24 hours prior to their entry into China.
Some wording will also be further clarified in the updated version of the health declaration to reduce misunderstandings.
The newly updated version of the health declaration form.
