PCR Test Report Required! FAQs About Travel Restrictions in GZ

In order to stop the spread of the epidemic and protect the health of the public, Guangzhou has further strengthened the prevention and control measures. Let’s check the details and know more about the current situation.

According to Guangzhou Municipal Health Commission, there were 10 new locally transmitted COVID-19 patients on Monday, including 9 patients who have previously been identified as locally transmitted asymptomatic carriers.

PCR Test Report Required! FAQs About Travel Restrictions in GZ

Guangzhou has asked its residents not to leave the city unless necessary as a precaution against the latest COVID-19 resurgence. People are required to show a health code from mobile phone for entering key venues such as restaurants and hospitals in Guangzhou.

The government has further tightened the epidemic prevention and control measures. The city’s headquarters on COVID-19 prevention and control issued a notice on the measures. Here’s the full content ↓↓↓

Notice on Further Strengthening the Epidemic Prevention and Control Measures (No. 17)

In order to stop the spread of the epidemic and protect the health of the public, we will strengthen implement the following measures:

1. Tougher travel restrictions. By adopting differentiated measures for different levels of lockdowns, we will ensure that people in high-risk areas and lockdown areas stay in their homes; in areas under restrictive measures, people can only go in but not go out; the general public should not leave Guangzhou or Guangdong Province for non-essential reasons. Those who really need to leave Guangzhou or leave the province must have a certificate of negative test results from within the last 48 hours (this policy will take effect from 12:00 on June 7). CPC members and government agencies at all levels, enterprises, institutions, schools and travel agencies should take the lead in implementing the requirements of not leaving Guangzhou or the province for non-essential reasons.

2. Tougher traffic control. Highways, railways, airports, ports should divert the flow of people to avoid crowds, and carefully check passenger information; buses, taxis, and car-hailing services operators must ask passengers to wear masks, ensure ventilation and disinfection; personal protections for workers onboard should be strengthened; measures such as body temperature check, health code check must be implemented; passengers with red or yellow code must be prohibited from boarding public transportation.

3. Stricter quarantine measures. Personnel going through quarantine in designated places, at homes, and people living in areas under restrictive measures shall strictly abide by control requirements: they shall conduct health monitoring, and not go out without authorization. Anyone who violates relevant regulations and causes the risk of spreading the disease will be investigated for legal responsibility in accordance with the law.

4. Better information updates. In the past 14 days, those who have travelled to medium-and-high-risk areas, lockdown areas or to the areas under restrictive measures should report to their community as soon as possible and provide health information and travel history. They should cooperate to take nucleic acid tests, and go through health monitoring. Those with yellow codes should immediately take nucleic acid test on the same day and report the test results. The information provided must be true and credible, otherwise corresponding legal responsibilities shall be borne for concealing and reporting false information.

5. Tougher nucleic acid testing. Citizens are requested to cooperate with massive nucleic acid tests to ensure that no one is missed, observe the order of the inoculation sites, and wear masks and keep a distance of more than one meter.

6. Tougher control for dine-in services. Citizens are requested to follow the measures for prohibiting and restricting dine-in services and reduce gatherings. Citizens are encouraged to pick up food at restaurants and order take-outs; canteens (including government agencies, institutions, schools, factories, construction sites, businesses) should implement measures such as checking temperatures, dining at different time slots, setting up dividers at tables.

7. Tougher control on gatherings. Meetings, training sessions, and events should be conducted online as much as possible. Offline large-scale events should be reduced. If an event must be held, the scale should be reduced, the number of people controlled, and epidemic prevention and control measures should be implemented in accordance with the principle of “whoever holds the event takes full responsibility.”

8. Tougher control in public places. The management and control measures for public places in the medium-and-high-risk areas and lockdown areas shall be implemented in accordance with the Annex 2 and Annex 3 of No. 15 Notice. The indoor public venues shall ask visitors to make appointments, conduct peak shift, check temperatures, display health code, wear masks before entry. Entertainment venues should be temporarily closed.

9. Greater personal protection. Citizens are strongly encouraged to follow good habits such as wearing masks, washing hands, cleaning homes, and using serving chopsticks. Cook food thoroughly, cover when coughing and sneezing, keep ventilation at indoors, reduce gatherings, and maintain a social distance of more than one meter. Citizens shall conduct self-health monitoring every day. When you experience symptoms such as fever, dry cough, fatigue, sore throat, decreased sense of smell (taste), diarrhea, report your conditions through the Yuekang code or Suikang code. Make sure you step up protective measures such as wearing masks and avoiding public transportation, and you should immediately go to the nearest medical institution with fever clinic (office), and truthfully inform your epidemiological history.

The above prevention and control measures are periodically adjusted based on the epidemic risk assessments. This notice will take effect once it is issued.

Guangzhou COVID-19 Prevention and Control Headquarters

June 6, 2021

△ Slide to read the English version of the notice

△ Chinese version of the notice

Guangzhou Municipal Transportation Bureau has later issued official interpretation on the travel restrictions. Let’s check!

1. The first stipulation stated, “those who do have a pressing need to leave Guangzhou or Guangdong Province, must hold a negative PCR test report obtained within 48 hours”, is it a mandatory requirement for leaving Guangzhou or leaving Guangdong Province?

“Leaving Guangzhou or leaving Guangdong Province” covers two aspects:

First, it means passengers leaving Guangzhou from airports, railway stations, and coach terminals located within the jurisdiction of Guangzhou (excluding transit passengers from outside of Guangzhou) must present a green “Health Code” and a negative PCR test report obtained within 48 hours;

Second, it means drivers and passengers leaving Guangzhou to travel to another province in small vehicles must hold a negative PCR test report obtained within 48 hours for inspection purposes. This policy is consistent with notification No.14.

2. The requirement for negative PCR test reports obtained within 48 hours will be implemented starting at 12:00 June 7, if I were to leave Guangzhou to travel to another province before 12:00 on the 7th, do I still need to present a negative PCR test report?

Yes. Those who leave Guangzhou to travel to another province before 12:00 June 7, must present a green “Health Code” and a negative PCR test report obtained within 72 hours.

Starting from 12:00 June 7, following the latest requirements of notification No.17, those who leave Guangzhou to travel to another province are required to present a negative PCR test report obtained within 48 hours.

3. If I were to leave Guangzhou for neighboring cities in my own vehicle, but not travelling to another province, do I still need a negative PCR test report? (For example: travelling from Guangzhou to Shenzhen, Qingyuan, Foshan, Zhanjiang and Chaozhou, etc.)

No. Notification No.17 is consistent with Notification No.14, starting from 12:00 June 7, a negative PCR test report obtained within 48 hours is required only if you are leaving Guangzhou to travel to another province.

However, you must keep an eye on the local policies of your destination to avoid disruptions to your itinerary. In order to rapidly and effectively curb the spread of COVID-19, all residents are advised to stay in Guangzhou and Guangdong Province unless your circumstances are exceptional.

4. Does a truck driver who drives around Guangdong Province to send goods need a negative PCR test report obtained within 48 hours?

No. Notification No.17 is consistent with Notification No.14, starting from 12:00 June 7, a negative PCR test report obtained within 48 hours is required only if the truck you are driving is leaving Guangzhou to travel to another province.

5. If I were to take an inter-city coach, commuting coach, chartered tourism coach, or school bus to leave Guangzhou, for example, taking a chartered coach to travel to Zhaoqing from Tianhe East, do I need a negative PCR test report? Where will the report be inspected?

Yes. The above-mentioned means of transportation all fall under the category of chartered passenger transportation, which is part of road passenger transportation, therefore, negative PCR test reports are required.

You will be required to present a negative PCR test report for inspection before boarding the chartered vehicle. The authority will rely on technological means and manual inspection to verify your report.

6. Is a negative PCR test report obtained within 48 hours required if I were to travel on an inter-city train?

Yes. But at the moment, a negative PCR test report is not required for inter-city trains operating like metros (Guangzhou-Qingyuan and Guangzhou-Foshan circular intercity railway).

7. I am a transit passenger, and I will not leave the station/airport, do I need a negative PCR test report obtained within 48 hours? What are the requirements at Baiyun Airport?

No. Those who travel to Guangzhou on public transportation for transit purposes without leaving the station/airport do not need a negative PCR test report obtained within 48 hours.

Those who need to go out of the station/airport and then re-enter the station/airport are required to have a negative PCR test report obtained within 48 hours. Baiyun International Airport specified if the duration of your transit exceeds a certain period of time, you will need to present a negative PCR test report, please follow “白云机场发布” (Baiyun Airport News) for latest updates.

8. What are the requirements to qualify for a free refund or change of ticket?

Passengers who purchased the ticket before the release of this notification and are unable to present a negative PCR test report when boarding a flight, train, or coach, can apply for a free refund or change of ticket with relevant records or documentation (e.g., purchase record on the app or paper receipts) following the ticket refund and change policies of the airport, railway station, and coach terminal.

9. How to define the time limit for “a negative PCR test report obtained within 48 hours”?

You must take a PCR test within 48 hours before the departure time stated on the ticket of your flight, train, or coach (determined by the “Testing Time” in your health code or on your hardcopy PCR test report).

For example, if your “Testing Time” is 10:00 June 1, 2021, then you can purchase tickets that depart after 10:00 June 1, 2021 and before 10:00 June 3, 2021.

10. On the negative PCR test report, there are three time stamps: sample collection time, sample processing time, and report printing time. Which time stamp will be used to determine if the negative PCR test report is obtained within 48 hours? The hardcopy test report does not indicate “testing time”, which time stamp should I refer to?

“Testing Time” is the preferred reference. If there is no testing time in the report, sample collection time can also be used as a reference. If there is no “testing time” on your hardcopy test report, please consult the testing facility to clarify the testing time.

11. Is it a mandatory requirement that the negative PCR test report must be issued by a testing facility located in Guangzhou? Will a report issued by an agency outside of Guangzhou be accepted?

Yes. Any negative PCR test report obtained within 48 hours of yourself will be accepted.

12. If I must travel for exceptional circumstances, but I don’t have a negative PCR test report obtained within 48 hours, what should I do?

For people who have already purchased a flight ticket, train ticket, or coach ticket (hardcopy or electronic copy) with urgent travel needs, medical facilities will prioritize their PCR test appointment. Please consult medical facilities for more details.

13. Is it a mandatory requirement to present a hardcopy PCR test report to travel on high-speed rail?

Electronic PCR test report included in Health Code and hardcopy PCR test report issued by medical facilities are both acceptable as long as the negative test report is obtained within 48 hours.

We will keep following the updates on the latest anti-epidemic measures and entry policies. Stay tuned!

If you have any questions about living in China, please feel free to contact HACOS!

PCR Test Report Required! FAQs About Travel Restrictions in GZ

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PCR Test Report Required! FAQs About Travel Restrictions in GZ

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SOURCE | GZFAO / GZ Gov / 广州交通

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