TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan will end compulsory saliva PCR tests for travelers arriving from China from Feb. 7, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said Tuesday (Jan. 31).

The country introduced the measure Jan. 1 amid fears of a massive spike of COVID-19 infections in China ahead of the Jan. 20-29 Lunar New Year holidays, when thousands of Taiwanese working in the communist country return home.

The COVID-positive rate of arrivals from China had dropped from a daily high of 25% to 2%, paving the way for a relaxation of the measures, CECC chief Victor Wang (王必勝) said at a news conference Tuesday afternoon. The change also covered travelers arriving on the outlying islands of Kinmen and Matsu by ferry from the Chinese province of Fujian.

At the same time, Taiwan was also ending the requirement for passengers who had transited in Hong Kong or Macau to submit proof of a negative PCR test result taken during the previous 48 hours, or a rapid antigen test during the 24 hours before boarding a flight, per UDN.

Wang said no new variants of the COVID virus had emerged recently, with BA.5 and BF.7 still the main types. However, Taiwan was still not reopening its borders to Chinese tourists, making Taiwanese travelers the main beneficiaries of the Feb. 7 changes, the Liberty Times reported.