The Embassy of the Republic of China to Laos has issued a statement to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to inform them that starting Wednesday, passengers from Laos will no longer need to provide a negative RT-PCR test result, as an Antigen test will be sufficient.
The statement from the Chinese Embassy stated, “From 1 March 2023, the Republic of China will allow passengers traveling from Laos to be able to enter the country after completing an ATK test, including tests conducted by the individual.”
“Passengers who have tested negative will be able to apply for a health form via QR from the Chinese customs authority, through the application WeChat,” the statement continued.
From 1 March onwards, authorized airlines will also no longer check for a PCR or ATK test for passengers flying to China.
PCR test or in medical terms, polymerase chain reaction, is a test to detect genetic material from a specific organism, such as a virus. This test must be carried out by medical professionals.
Whereas the ATK (antigen test kit) can be administered by the individual taking the test, although it could be less accurate than the PCR test.
Close to three years after the pandemic was first detected, countries around the world are starting to ease their Covid-19 regulations. Recently, Hong Kong lifted its mask mandate, ending the city’s last major restriction post-pandemic.
