Qatar has decided to lift pre-travel PCR test requirements for travellers from China and Hong Kong after a decline in Covid-related cases.

Travellers coming to Qatar from China, Hong Kong, and Macau will no longer need to present a negative pre-travel Covid-19 PCR test result, according to the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH).

This decision, effective as of 1 April, marks the end of all Covid-related travel restrictions in Qatar for visitors from these regions. It comes after improved health circumstances in these areas and globally.

Currently, China and Hong Kong combined have less than 2,200 active Covid-19 cases, and the numbers are steadily decreasing due to successful vaccination campaigns and strict public health measures.

This has pushed authorities there to lift most of their Coronavirus restrictions and increase the flow of tourism in an attempt to return to normality.

Like Qatar, most countries globally, including all European nations, have lifted the PCR test requirement for all travellers coming from and to China and Hong Kong thanks to the hopeful numbers.

The Gulf nation previously scrapped all travel requirements for all other countries in October 2022, just months before the kick-off of the now memorable World Cup 2022.

Meanwhile, restrictions in Qatar were all lifted, with the exception of the mask mandate in healthcare centres, in March of 2023. The Covid-status tracking App, Ehteraz, was also dropped after years of use.

However, the health ministry emphasised the importance of taking precautions to protect their health, keeping up-to-date with local and international updates on Covid-19, and following the latest measures.