An international passenger flight landed in Beijing on Thursday for the first time in more than five months.
Airport workers in protective suits greeted passengers who had left the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh on an Air China plane.
The international airport of the Chinese capital was closed since March 23 due to the corona pandemic. Flights were diverted to other cities.
With strict security measures, passengers from Thailand, Cambodia, Pakistan, Greece, Denmark, Austria, Sweden and Canada are now welcome again. According to the Chinese authorities, the virus is sufficiently under control in these countries.
During a trial period, up to five hundred passengers are allowed to travel on direct international flights to Beijing daily, according to state television.
Anyone boarding a plane to Beijing must provide proof of a negative corona test. After arrival, passengers must be quarantined for fourteen days, during which time they must undergo two new tests.
On Thursday, eleven new infections were reported in China, the country where the coronavirus first appeared at the end of last year. Health officials said all cases were “imported.”