Travelers to China from a raft of countries are now able to skip taking a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for COVID-19 48 hours prior to departure, according to China's embassies and consulates in those countries.

Instead, passengers may take an antigen test in the 48 hours prior to departure. If the result is negative, they can travel to China.

Those countries are Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Laos, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, South Africa, Kenya, Russia, Switzerland, Hungary, New Zealand, Greece, Italy, France, Spain, Denmark, Kazakhstan, Portugal, Serbia, Vietnam, Nepal, Mongolia, Brunei, Iran, Tanzania, Uzbekistan, Georgia and Azerbaijan.

Before boarding their flights, travelers can upload their antigen test results via China's official health declaration website (https://htdecl.chinaport.gov.cn), WeChat mini-program or the China Customs application.

Airline companies offering flights between those countries and China are no longer checking PCR test and antigen test results before boarding, although they continue to advise passengers to wear masks correctly during the flights, according to the embassies.

Upon arrival in China, passengers would be required to show their health declaration code to the customs officers at their incoming port, and a proportion of them might be required to undergo random inspections.

Incoming passengers with clear health declarations and with no abnormalities found during inspection would be granted entry. Anyone whose health declaration is not clear or who shows symptoms such as fever would be retested by customs officers, and any who tests positive for COVID-19 would be required to quarantine at home or seek medical treatment.

Shanghai eased its pandemic prevention and control measures for travelers from abroad from January 8, following a downgrade of China's COVID-19 policies.