Customs scraps requirement for health status declarations

China's General Administration of Customs on Tuesday announced the ending of mandatory health declarations for individuals entering or exiting the Chinese mainland from Nov 1.

Both inbound and outbound passengers will no longer need to fill in the entry or exit health declaration form, according to the Frontier Health and Quarantine Law and the rules for its implementation.

However, individuals showing symptoms of infectious diseases such as fever, cough, difficulty breathing, vomiting, diarrhea, skin rash, unexplained subcutaneous bleeding, or those already diagnosed with infectious diseases must voluntarily report their health status to customs officers.

People with infectious disease symptoms must cooperate with customs in carrying out health quarantine procedures, including temperature checks, epidemiological investigations, medical examinations and sample testing, it said.

Those who conceal or evade quarantine measures will bear corresponding legal responsibilities. If their actions result in the spread of infectious diseases or pose a serious transmission risk, they will face corresponding criminal liabilities, the administration said.

China adopted the quarantine declaration system in January 2020 as a measure to combat COVID-19, requiring travelers to fill in exit/entry health declaration forms and declare their health to customs.