Neighbors are struggling with the epidemic, how does China control Covid-19?

China reported five new Covid-19 cases on May 6, down from seven a day earlier, all of which were imported or originated from overseas. The number of infections in the country has remained stable at a low level recently, with no local transmissions.

As of May 5,Chinareported at least 18 imported Covid-19 cases fromIndiaor involving Indian citizens. China is expected to continue to see new Covid-19 cases from neighboring India, but the chances of them creating an infection crisis are very low due to strict quarantine rules issued by the government, according to an anonymous source from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

New visa applicants must receive two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine at least 14 days before entering the country. The Chinese Embassy in the US confirmed on April 20 that entrants can receive the Chinese vaccine, as well as the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.

They must apply for a visa in advance and present vaccination certificates and negative test results upon arrival in China. They will be quarantined again at the airport. Those who fail the quarantine will be sent to a government quarantine facility.

All arrivals will be quarantined for 14 or 21 days, depending on the region. They can be quarantined at a government facility, or quarantined at home.

Wang Bin, a senior official at China's National Health Commission, said the commission requires all arrivals from abroad to take PCR tests during their quarantine period. On the 14th day of quarantine, they need to take PCR tests from at least two facilities to ensure accuracy.

After completing quarantine at centralized facilities, people returning from abroad or international visitors are also required to continue monitoring their health at home for another 7 days, take necessary epidemic prevention measures when leaving home and avoid crowded gatherings.

According to Wang, these people need to continue to take PCR tests at the end of the home health monitoring period and then one week later. She added that if they develop symptoms such as fever or cough, they should seek medical attention immediately.

Quarantine centers apply strict disease prevention and control measures, and staff here must always strictly adhere to these measures.

In addition, authorities regularly conduct PCR tests and disinfect the surfaces of imported food, especially cold-storage food packaging, to prevent the risk of Covid-19 transmission through this route.

China is also pushing ahead with its own vaccination campaign, administering 280 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines so far, or 20 doses per 100 people.

Thanks to strict quarantine and testing policies, combined with a vaccination campaign, China has so far controlled Covid-19 relatively well. Anxiety is no longer prevalent, and people have recently flocked to tourist attractions across the country. The government has also encouraged people to increase spending on tourism to stimulate economic growth.

During the extended Lunar New Year holiday earlier this year, Chinese authorities advised people to avoid non-essential travel due to an outbreak in the northern region. But those recommendations are no longer in place for the five-day Labor Day holiday that began on May 1.

One travel analyst predicts that demand will “explode,” possibly surpassing pre-pandemic levels. Many of Beijing’s famous sites, such as the Forbidden City and the Great Wall, are crowded. Meanwhile, tickets to the Palace Museum are sold out until May 6.

Movie theaters were no less bustling as dozens of new films were released, bringing box office revenue for the May Day holiday to $232 million, as of the morning of May 5, the last day of the holiday. This figure is equal to the revenue during the same four-day holiday in 2019.

The increased demand for sightseeing, tourism, and domestic travel during the five-day holiday is something that Chinese authorities have anticipated as current domestic Covid-19 control measures have been significantly relaxed and overseas travel has yet to resume.

Analysts say the Chinese people's eagerness to travel and visit during this holiday stems from the government's supportive attitude as well as the country's effective control of the pandemic.

"Since last year, we have predicted that tourism demand will explode this year and could be even higher than in 2019," said analyst Fang Zexi from the research center of travel service platform Trip.com.

Despite the positive signs, Wu Zunyou, chief epidemiologist at the China CDC, still advised people to pay attention to personal hygiene and avoid crowded places. He also stressed the importance of getting vaccinated, noting that side effects are rare.

"The domestic Covid-19 situation is relatively good and there are no community infections. But the global situation is much more serious, especially in some Asian countries. It reminds us of the huge pressure in preventing imported cases," Wu said at a press conference in the middle of last week.