People were seen in long queues outside the immigration offices in Beijing on Monday, with an urge to seek renewal of their passports post China’s levied off the Covid restrictions on travel for three years.
Demonstrators gathered on the roads to lift off the restrictions put forth by the authorities. Thereafter China started its last step under the “zero-COVID” regime, which kicked off last month.
There are more than 100 people in China’s capital who are seeking to renew their passports, 67-year-old retiree Yang Jianguo spoke to Reuters in which he mentioned about his plan to travel to the United States to see his daughter after three years.
“She got married last year but had to postpone the wedding ceremony because we couldn’t go over to attend it. We’re very glad we can now go,” Yang said.
However, on the other hand, flights are scarce and nations have been seeking for negative tests from the visitors travelling from China. China, too, demands for a pre-departure negative COVID test from the travellers.
“Life is moving forward again!,” read a headline in People’s Daily, which further praised the initiatives and policies made by the government on late Sunday which has resulted in “preventing infection” to “preventing severe disease”.
“Today, the virus is weak, we are stronger.”
Officially, China has a whopping report of 5,272 cases of COVID-related deaths as of Jan. 8, which is lowest rate in comparison to the world at large.