China preparing a plan to lift Covid-19 flight suspensions: report

CHINA is working on a plan to end a system that banned individual flights for bringing in passengers infected with the Covid-19 virus, Bloomberg News reported on Friday (Nov 4), citing people familiar with the matter.

However, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said that he was not aware of the media report. China’s Covid-19 policies are consistent and clear, he told reporters at a daily briefing in Beijing.

According to the report, the State Council, which oversees China’s bureaucracy, had recently asked government agencies and civil aviation regulators to prepare for ending a circuit-breaker mechanism.

Airlines arriving in China earlier faced a ban if their flights brought in Covid-infected passengers. A similar mechanism for Hong Kong was suspended in July.

The report comes as Chinese policymakers pledged on Wednesday to prioritise growth and press on with reforms, which helped boost stock markets buoyed by hopes that Beijing will ease some of its strict pandemic measures.

China’s aviation administration did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. REUTERS