China is trying out reduced quarantine times for overseas arrivals and close contacts of positive cases in eight cities, in a potential easing of some of the world's most stringent pandemic entry controls.
Shanghai and Guangzhou are among the cities picked by the State Council for a trial that will see quarantine times reduced to 10 days from 14 days currently, plus seven days of health monitoring with regular testing as before.
The trial will help authorities to better understand how antigen testing can be used in pandemic controls and to better determine the optimal isolation period.
Shanghai has reduced loads on international flights by foreign airlines at 40%, down from 75% previously in a bid to reduce imported cases.
The other cities in the trial are Chengdu, Dalian, Suzhou, Ningbo, Xiamen and Qingdao.
The trial should have begun on April 11, but it appears it is being rolled out in a piecemeal fashion.
