Asian Countries Phasing Out COVID Curbs, Inching Closer to Normality

People with shopping bags walk across a traffic intersection towards a train station near a shopping street in the Ueno district in Tokyo on Dec. 30, 2022. (Hiro Komae/AP Photo)

Several countries in Asia have begun removing all COVID-19 curbs and treating the virus like a seasonal flu, signifying a shift into the endemic phase three years after its initial outbreak in 2020.

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared an end to the COVID-19 global health emergency on May 5, citing a downward trend of the deadly pandemic for more than a year.

According to the WHO, about 17,000 people died across the world from the virus in the 28 days ending on April 30, down from some 374,000 in the 28 days ending on Feb. 7, 2021.

“This trend has allowed most countries to return to life as we knew it before COVID-19,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a press briefing in Geneva.

South Korea

South Korea has decided to scrap its remaining COVID-19 restrictions, including mandatory isolation and testing recommendations for all arrivals, following the WHO’s announcement.

President Yoon Suk-yeol said Thursday that South Korea will lower its COVID-19 alert level from “serious” to “alert” next month. Indoor mask mandate will no longer be in place but people will still need to wear masks in hospitals with high-infection risks.

Yoon said that COVID-19 patients would no longer be mandated to undergo a seven-day quarantine period and would only be advised to self-isolate for five days, Yonhap News Agency reported.

The country had lifted its COVID-19 border restrictions and scrapped its outdoor mask-wearing rules last year.

Japan

Japan lifted its COVID-19 border measures on April 29, allowing all arrivals to enter without showing proof of vaccination or negative test results. The country also ended its mask-wearing rules in March.

The Health Ministry eliminated quarantine rules and downgraded the legal status of COVID-19 from Class 2 to Class 5 this month, resulting in the disease being treated similarly to seasonal flu.

The expert panel approved the decision to downgrade COVID-19, citing the preparedness of the country’s health care system for a resurgence.

Indonesia

Indonesia removed all COVID-19 measures last year, citing the decline in the number of new infections. President Joko Widodo advised people to wear masks in crowded places but said it was not mandatory.

Widodo said Indonesia’s COVID-19 situation is under control after observing improvements over the course of 10 months in 2022, allowing the country to drop the large-scale social restrictions on crowds and people’s movement.

During the pandemic, instead of imposing a nationwide lockdown, his administration applied two systems: PSBB, which refers to large-scale social restrictions, and PPKM, a tiered system to curb public mobility.

The Philippines

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. approved last year to scrap testing requirements for fully vaccinated travelers and lift the indoor mask mandate, except in public transport and medical facilities.

Unvaccinated travelers are allowed to enter the country without quarantine but must take an antigen test 24 hours before travel or upon arrival, according to the Philippine Information Agency.

Maria Rosario Vergeire, officer-in-charge for the Health Department, said earlier this year that the country would be “ready” to ease its restrictions if the WHO decided to end the COVID-19 global health emergency.

“The Philippines will continue to be cautious and vigilant, and we will still be imposing these same restrictions that we have right now which are not so much strict, but we have that safeguard that anytime cases will increase, we have our safeguards that we can rely on and we can impose to better protect Filipinos,” she said.

Malaysia

Malaysia reopened its borders to all travelers in April 2022 but with some restrictions. The government subsequently allowed travelers to enter without showing proof of vaccination or negative test results in August 2022. The country has lifted its mask-wearing requirements, leaving it up to premise owners to decide whether or not to implement their own mask policies.

Singapore

Singapore lifted all border restrictions in February, allowing the entry of unvaccinated travelers and removing pre-departure testing requirements. According to the government’s website, unvaccinated short-term visitors will no longer need to buy COVID-19 travel insurance.

However, it stated that restrictions under the Vaccinated Travel Framework will remain in place for reactivation “if there are international developments of concern, such as new severe variants or signs that our healthcare capacity is strained by imported cases.”

The country has also lifted its mask-wearing mandate, including in public transport.

Taiwan

Taiwan lifted all its COVID-19 entry restrictions last October. Visitors are no longer required to quarantine upon entry, or take PCR tests, but they will need to monitor their health for a week after arriving, and obtain a negative result on a rapid antigen test the day they arrive.

The self-ruled island has made mask-wearing optional both outdoors and indoors, except in health care facilities and ambulances.

China

China ended all quarantine requirements for inbound travelers in January. The regime has scrapped the cap on the number of international flights coming in and out of China and resumed outbound tourism.

Passengers queue to pass through customs after arriving at Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport in China's eastern Zhejiang province on January 8, 2023. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)

The Chinese communist regime, which abandoned its draconian “zero-COVID” policy last December, also ended mask requirements for indoor and outdoor settings, except in hospitals and nursing homes.

Hong Kong

Hong Kong lifted its vaccination requirement for all inbound travelers after China announced the removal of its zero-COVID policy. All pre-departure testing requirements have been eased, but inbound travelers must pass temperature checks upon arrival, the government stated.

The country has also scrapped its mask-wearing mandate and social distancing measures.

Thailand

Thailand announced in January that it would reinstate the requirement for foreign travelers to show proof of vaccination after China reopened its borders. But the government subsequently rescinded this due to concerns that it could affect the recovery of the country’s tourism.

Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said the government’s expert panel had deemed the vaccination requirement unnecessary, citing sufficient immunization levels globally.

People in Thailand are no longer required to wear masks. The government has also allowed bars and pubs to operate for extended hours.

Vietnam

Vietnam scrapped quarantine and other travel restrictions for foreign visitors last year. Travelers are no longer required to take a COVID-19 test before entering the country.

Mask-wearing is no longer required in public settings. However, Vietnam’s capital of Hanoi stated on April 18 that mask-wearing will be mandatory in public transport and in enclosed spaces, such as restaurants and shopping malls.

Laos

The landlocked Southeast Asian nation of Laos reopened to international travelers in May last year. The country lifted its COVID-19 entry restrictions in December 2022, allowing travelers to enter without showing proof of vaccinations or negative test results.

However, COVID-19 curbs like the wearing of masks in public places are still in place.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.