China just rolled out its biggest pullback on COVID restrictions and shortened quarantine time for travelers

• China has shortened quarantine requirements for travelers and close contacts of people who test positive for COVID-19.
• Travelers must now spend five days in a hotel or quarantine facility and three days at home.

China has shortened quarantine requirements for travelers coming into the country, the National Health Commission said Friday.

In a statement posted on Weibo, the National Health Commission announced some 20 measures that outlined China's latest approach to tackling COVID-19.

Travelers now need to quarantine for five days in a hotel or government quarantine facility, and then three days at home, according to the statement. Close contacts of people who test positive for COVID-19 will be subject to the same revised quarantine requirements.

Travelers coming into China will only have to take one pre-departure PCR test instead of two, per the statement. China will also cease to identify the close contacts of close contacts.

Previously, travelers were required to spend seven days in quarantine in a hotel, followed by three days confined to home.

China's pullback on COVID-19 restrictions comes as a surprise move amidst Xi Jinping's stringent zero-COVID policy, especially with outbreaks in major cities like Beijing, Guangzhou, and Zhengzhou.

The measures were announced around two months ahead of the Chinese New Year, the biggest travel period in China. China's aviation regulator previously said it plans to recover the country's battered travel industry from 2023 to 2025, Reuters reported.