(Yicai Global) Dec. 5 -- People taking public transport in several Chinese cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, will no longer need to show a negative polymerase chain reaction test result for Covid-19.

From today, Shanghai will not require people to have a negative Covid PCR test result to take trains, buses, and ferries and enter outdoor public spaces such as parks and scenic spots, the city government said on its official WeChat account yesterday.

Residents needed to have a negative PCR test result within 72 hours to take public transport and visit public spaces before today.

Many other first- and second-tier cities, including Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chongqing, Tianjin, Chengdu, Zhengzhou, and Wuhan, have made the same changes as Shanghai in the past few days.

Shanghai residents still need to have a green health code and normal body temperature to take public transport, and show negative PCR test results within 48 hours to enter indoor spaces such as restaurants, shopping malls, and supermarkets, the local government said. The city will adjust policy according to the virus situation and the country’s anti-Covid policies, it added.

China faces a new situation and new tasks, as the omicron variant has become less pathogenic, more people have been vaccinated, and the country has built up more experience in fighting the virus, Vice Premier Sun Chunlan said on Nov. 30. China will continue to promote vaccination, especially among the elderly, and speed up the preparation of medical resources, she added.

Many local governments have adjusted their Covid controls since then, canceling unnecessary lockdowns, relaxed the frequency of PCR tests, and allowing close contacts to quarantine at home rather than at designated facilities.

Editors: Dou Shicong, Futura Costaglione