China reduces quarantine for people arriving from abroad

BEIJING (AP) — China has announced an easing of its quarantine requirement for people arriving from abroad, but stopped short of lifting what remains a stringent policy compared to most other countries. Anyone coming from outside the country will be required to stay in a quarantine hotel for seven days, followed by three days of home observation under an updated pandemic response plan released Tuesday. The previous plan called for 14 days in a hotel plus seven days of home observation. A spokesperson for the National Health Commission described the new plan as not a relaxation of the country’s “zero-COVID” policy but an optimization to make it more scientific and precise.