Amid rising COVID-19 cases and a possible new wave of the virus, China is easing its travel policies. This has not been viewed as a wise decision given the circumstances. However, it seems that due to widespread protests against the country’s strict COVID-19 policies, China has decided to lift its COVID-19 protocols. In keeping with its ease of restrictions, it opened the second international airport for travel. Beijing Daxing International Airport opened for air travel on Tuesday.
Beijing Daxing International Airport Opens For Air Travel
Beijing Daxing International Airport is now open for air travel again. It is the second airport in Beijing, China. Since the pandemic rendered the airport temporarily closed, it has recently restarted operations. This means that domestic and international flyers are free to travel through the airport now.
The first flight to take off from this airport after its resumption was the CZ309 flight to Hong Kong. It had approximately a hundred passengers on board and it was the first flight in three years. The airport first opened in 2019 on the 25th of September. However, from the 14th of March 2020, all the flights that were supposed to go through the Daxing airport were transferred to Beijing Capital International Airport.
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China’s Easing Of COVID-19 Restrictions
Since 2020, China had imposed a strict regime of COVID-19 laws which did not waver even when the rest of the counties started to ease travel restrictions. This led to widespread protests throughout the country. The restrictions were affecting trade and commerce, and by extension, the economy o the country.
Finally, it seems that the Chinese government gave in to the protests and started easing its restrictions. However, at the same time, there was a spike in COVID-19 cases across the globe and experts even speculated a new wave of the virus. This did not deter the country from easing the restrictions, as it should have. Many have criticised the government for not heeding the numbers and going ahead with the easing of restrictions. Many countries are even reinstating the precautionary measures they took during the pandemic.
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Cover Image Credits: Wikimedia Commons
First Published: January 17, 2023 5:27 PM