People joined long queues outside immigration offices in Beijing on Monday, eager to renew their passports after China dropped COVID border controls that had largely prevented its 1.4 billion residents from travelling for three years.
is one of the last steps in China's dismantling of its "zero-COVID" regime, which began last month after historic protests against curbs that kept the virus at bay but caused widespread frustration among its people.
"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, standing alongside his wife. Beijing's move to drop quarantine requirements for visitors is expected to boost outbound travel, as residents will not face those restrictions when they return.
China's top health officials and state media have repeatedly said COVID infections are peaking across the country and they are playing down the threat now posed by the disease.
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