China finally came out of a 3-year-long isolation Sunday as the country reopened its borders to foreign visitors for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The decision dismantled a final pillar of a zero-COVID policy that had shielded China’s 1.4 billion people from the virus but also cut them off from the rest of the world.
After three long years, mainland China opened sea and land crossings with Hong Kong and ended a requirement for incoming travelers to quarantine.
Travelers streamed into China by air, land and sea on Sunday, many eager for long-awaited reunions.
China’s easing over the past month of one of the world’s tightest COVID regimes followed historic protests against a policy that included frequent testing, curbs on movement and mass lockdowns that heavily damaged the second-biggest economy.
Long queues formed at the Hong Kong international airport’s check-in counters for flights to mainland cities including Beijing, Tianjin and Xiamen. Hong Kong media outlets estimated that thousands were crossing.
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