While most other countries began reopening to international travel earlier, China only began emerging from its zero-Covid policies in late 2022, after protests broke out against the hardline restrictions.
The airlines said in a statement that this is due to "the robust demand for air travel continuing into the third quarter of FY2022/23, building on the momentum that began after Singapore relaxed its border restrictions in April 2022." SIA financial year starts in April.
In its earnings report published today, the airline operator attributed the rise in profits to robust demand for air travel - after Covid restrictions.
Since China abandoned its zero-COVID policy, its domestic challenges have increased, youth unemployment is high, the economy is slowing down, and COVID infections and deaths have accelerated.
China has refused to provide treatment to refugees from North Korea, even after it lifted its COVID restrictions. Due to a lack of identity proof, the refugees are not provided treatment even if they face serious COVID symptoms.
Lang Son province, a northern province of Vietnam, will be taking samples of people coming to Vietnam from China if the travelers have symptoms such as fever, coughing, or difficulty breathing, the Vietnamese newspaper VnExpress reported.
Incidentally, the scale of the current outbreak of the Covid infections has made it difficult for the authorities to track the Covid infections, following the end of the mandatory mass testing as part of the easing of Covid restrictions.
After two years of the COVID pandemic, the Gangasagar Mela 2023 is being organised in West Bengal from January 8 to January 17 around the time of the Makar Sankranti festival. The pilgrims have already started pouring for the festival and take a holy dip in the Ganga river.
While responding to a query about imposing restrictions on flyers from China, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, "I'll say that there's no cause for retaliation..."
"Some of these measures are disproportionate and simply unacceptable. We firmly reject using COVID measures for political purposes and will take corresponding measures in response to varying situations based on the principle of reciprocity," Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning sai