From 0:00, 6 June, Beijing lowered its public health emergency response from level two to level three. The city updated its community-level response strategy accordingly, relaxing some of the restrictive protocols and instituting normalized prevention and control. Preventing case importation and local resurgence remains a challenging task, said an official of the Community-level Prevention Group under the Beijing Leading Group on COVID-19 Response in an interview yesterday, citing the ongoing COVID-19 situation globally and the remaining medium- or high-risk regions at home. The adjustment in response strategy is by no means a signal for letting off guard. On the contrary, it requires an even better job in keeping the fences up and holding the line of defense at the community level. Practices proven effective will continue to be strictly enforced.

The official added that residential communities and villages in Beijing will continue with tight control on key groups of people under the normalized prevention and control.

- International arrivals remain subjected to 14-day medical observation in designated places. After taking nucleic acid tests (NAT) upon completing the medical observation, they are required to take temperatures regularly on their own, and promptly report any health abnormality to their communities.

- Domestic travelers from medium- and high-risk regions are subject to more stringent health monitoring, control upon arrival, and closed-loop management.

- High-risk persons including confirmed cases, suspected cases, fever patients and close contacts are not allowed to enter Beijing.

- COVID-19 patients confirmed and cured in Beijing remain subjected to 14-day observation at designated places after being discharged from hospital.

Strict health regulation remains for domestic travellers or arrivals checking in hotels in Beijing.

- Hotels are not allowed to receive guests from medium- or high-risk regions arriving in Beijing less than 14 days ago. Arrivals without the conditions for undergoing observation at home will do so at designated places.

- Arrivals from Wuhan must hold NAT-negative certificates upon checking-in.

- Arrivals from low-risk regions (except for Wuhan) must present a green code on the Beijing Health Kit before checking-in.

Temperature screening is no longer required upon entering and exiting residential communities. Other measures including verification of entry permits and/or Beijing Health Kit and entry registration remain in place. Community residents may enter by means of electronic keys, facial recognition, electronic passes or entry permits. People working in consumer services including express delivery, food delivery, housekeeping, renovation and moving and real estate agency and other visitors can enter upon presenting a green code on the Beijing Health Kit and filling in an information form. Checkpoints in residential communities and villages will remain, with the existing arrangements on entrance guards in place and better smart management introduced.

Health code is required for accessing public venues. To boost the restart of business activities, people may enter venues such as office buildings, supermarkets, hotels, restaurants, shops, factories, construction sites, parks, scenic sites, and cultural and sports facilities, as well as enter and exit residential communities and villages, upon presenting a green code on the Beijing Health Kit.