Traveling To China, Safety, Laws, And Covid-related Issues

China represents one of the oldest civilizations and has a lot to offer its international visitors. For example, it combines various natural, cultural, and mixed heritages such as The Great Wall, The Grand Canal, historic settlements, imperial palaces from different eras, Silk Roads, national parks, fossil sites, and many more. However, with the massive outbreaks of Covid 19 and alongside the majority of countries, China implemented various restrictions for travelers as well. At first, in March of 2020, it closed borders to almost all travelers.

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A Year Later

From March of 2021, restrictions changed and have been allowing traveling for business and humanitarian reasons and for own citizens to return. Moreover, foreigners with rights to work or have personal matters are allowed in the country. However, all the selected groups are obligated to be vaccinated with two doses of original Chinese vaccines at least 15 days earlier crossing the borders.

Sharing Traveler’s Experiences

Due to the massive restrictions, traveling is not simple. Some travelers who can visit other countries often try to share their experiences through social media by live streaming, blog posts, articles, YouTube videos, and others. They share not only entertaining but also informative experiences. However, information changes quickly, as do pandemic-related restrictions. So, if you wish to share it as soon as possible, with as many people as possible, you can use assistant websites’ help, such as SpotifyStorm. It offers high-quality and fast services to gain a considerable amount of followers on social media. 

Required Testing

The restrictions are now eased for travelers from the United States, Belgium, Britain, the Philippines, France, Germany, Thailand, Australia, Singapore, and Japan. However, they must take a test on the virus and a blood test for antibodies (IgM) against it no earlier than 48 hours before the trip. Moreover, reports on both tests’ results must be derived from the same Chinese provider. Then, passengers are required to provide the reports before boarding, and if the test is not registered on the Chinese official websites, the travelers will be rejected. However, foreign citizens vaccinated with the SinoVax are allowed to enter the country, either having received two doses with a specific time limit between their intake or a single amount at least 14 days earlier before departure. 

Restrictions Differ By Locations

For travelers departing from high-risk countries, China requires more than PCR and antibody tests; they must stay in quarantine for two weeks. These high-risk locations include several African countries, Egypt, Indonesia, and Saudi Arabia. In addition, the requirements are stricter in different parts of the country. For example, Beijing is demanding 21 days of self-isolation from foreign visitors; they must spend two weeks in authorized facilities and then one week at home. 

Low, Medium, And High-risk Locations In China

The local Government classifies locations according to different levels of risks. Low-risk sites are those that have not had new COVID-19 cases within the past 14 days. Medium risk places where confirmed cases have not been more than 50 during 14 days, and there have not been any clusters reported in this period. High-risk locations where new virus cases exceed 50 and a group or clusters have been reported for two days. For example, Guangzhou declared two high-risk areas. Residents who live or have traveled in medium or high-risk locations will be banned from traveling and mass gatherings. In addition, government officials often lock down specific parts of sites and demand from residents to stay in their homes or take COVID-19 tests before leaving the risk areas. 

Local Laws And Safety

Safety issues include general criminal manifestations such as armed attacks, robbery in public transportation, scams targeting travelers. Mass gatherings are already prohibited in most of the locations in China due to the pandemic, but other than that, the Chinese Government controls mass protests and even arrests participants; filming such demonstrations may lead to some complications as well. Apart from the coronavirus, health issues include high pollution levels, unsafe tap water, bird flu, diseases transmitted by domestic animals, and an increased risk of HIV/AIDS. 

Needless to say, the retail environment in the Chinese market has changed drastically. Now, improving your sales in a retail environment like China has become a gargantuan task. Moreover, Chinese laws are specific and different from developed countries; for example, a person over 14 is considered an adult. Punishment for a crime can be the death penalty and life imprisonment. Police may often and randomly ask foreigners their ID details and even force them to take different drug tests.

Recommendations

Avoid or put off non-necessary travel to China. If you wish or have to travel there, you will need to gather and consider more information than for usual trips. Before buying tickets, recheck scheduled international flights. Consult airlines and local diplomatic services for details and restrictions. Gather required documentation in advance, such as test reports, and follow regulations. Some commercial and employment processes may be considered criminal, so get information on legal matters before signing a job contract.

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