Guide to Returning to Beijing from Belgium in May 2021
Guide to Returning to Beijing from Belgium in May 2021
April 29: My spouse and I had made an appointment a week earlier with Dr. Sun Haixia, a Chinese-speaking family doctor in Belgium. At 9 a.m. we had blood drawn and a nasal swab taken.
April 30: Early in the morning we received the dual nucleic acid test report from the lab. We uploaded the report, and the embassy issued our health code.
May 1: We boarded Hainan Airlines flight HU491. At the airport check-in, the airline reminded us to scan a QR code at the counter and fill in the customs declaration form online. Be sure to enter your seat number accurately to avoid having to redo it upon arrival in China. Take a screenshot of the customs QR code on your phone – you’ll need it at immigration.
Our flight had 80 transit passengers from Italy and 20 from Belgium. To prevent infection, Hainan Airlines seated all Italian passengers in the rear cabin and all Belgian passengers in the front, so the Belgians had empty seats all around them.
After boarding, we were served one meal with assorted biscuits, eggs, bread, etc. There’s no need to wear protective suits; just keep your mask on. If the seat next to you is empty, you can eat and drink without worry. Watch a couple of movies or take a nap, and the time will pass quickly.
May 2: The plane landed early in the morning in Xi’an. We then entered the closed-loop management process. Depending on the instructions of each staff member, we filled out forms and signed them, presented our customs QR code, health code and nucleic acid report, received a test tube, and had a nucleic acid test (throat swab and nasal swab, no blood draw needed). After going through the temperature-check corridor, we asked the declaration officer for a declaration card; we kept one copy and customs took the other for record. After clearing immigration, a staff member told us to buy a bus ticket via WeChat. Then we went to a waiting hall for about an hour until several buses arrived to take all passengers from our flight. A tip for those with lots of checked luggage: as soon as the buses arrive, get in line. Checked bags will be placed on the ground beside the bus, and those who board last may find the luggage compartment full and end up having to carry their suitcases up into the cabin. We had a lot of luggage, but luckily staff and fellow passengers helped.
The hotel is only decided after the plane takes off; everyone on the flight is sent to the same one. Whether it’s good or not is a matter of luck. We stayed at the Taoyuan Holiday Hotel. After a 50-minute drive we reached the quarantine hotel. The staff kindly helped us bring our bags to our door and arranged for my spouse and me to have adjacent rooms.
The hotel rooms were quite comfortable, with plenty of toothpaste, toothbrushes, slippers, toilet paper, an electric kettle, tea, and even a mini fridge. You can’t send out parcels, but you can receive deliveries (except food items). Room rate: 310 RMB per night, meals 100 RMB. If you order extra food at your own cost, everything from cold noodles to abalone is available. The TV had over 100 channels and the Wi-Fi signal was good. The air conditioning worked well, so those bringing chocolate from Belgium in summer needn’t worry about it melting.
Staff brought three meals a day and checked our temperature twice; otherwise they left us alone.
May 3–11: The first week of quarantine was mostly an adjustment period, with a sense of novelty. After a week we’d adapted to the time difference and started to feel a bit bored. You can exercise, read, or watch TV – time passes quickly. A week into quarantine, we had another nasal swab test. The hotel food was excellent, with different dishes every week, featuring all kinds of Shaanxi specialties. The Wi-Fi worked well when we first arrived, but later in the evenings it slowed down, probably because everyone was downloading. Couples staying across the hall from each other could exchange items by placing them outside the door without meeting.
May 12: A key point about whether to return to Beijing after 14 days or stay another 7 in Xi’an: In May, Beijing’s quarantine policy was 14 days of centralized quarantine plus 7 days of home quarantine or centralized quarantine. The latest Xi’an policy was 14 days centralized quarantine plus 14 days home quarantine (no centralized quarantine option), with a point-to-point transfer system. Since we didn’t have a home address in Xi’an, we couldn’t connect to home quarantine there; per the rules, we had to connect to Beijing’s community-based home or centralized quarantine. After asking around, the hotel’s epidemic prevention team told us they would send our information directly to Beijing. Once they saw us off at the airport, they’d withdraw, and Beijing’s subdistrict office would send people to pick us up at Beijing airport and handle the rest. To be safe, I directly called our community (hxyy community) and said we expected to arrive in Beijing on May 16. The community told us to keep our phones on, and they’d be in touch later.
So quarantine policies vary by province and even over time. At that point, Beijing’s final 7 days could be either home or centralized quarantine, while Xi’an’s final 14 days could only be home quarantine (no centralized option). If Xi’an later adjusted to 14+7 (health monitoring), you could find your own hotel and travel in Xi’an for those 7 days (at your own expense or reimbursed by your employer). If Xi’an changed to 14+7 (home or centralized quarantine), they could send you to Lintong Sanatorium for the 7 days. Quarantine rules differ between your destination and your point of entry, and the handover process also varies. Each province’s epidemic prevention department sets its own measures, coordinated by the National Joint Prevention and Control Office; national measures > provincial/municipal measures > employer measures. Entry and destination policies are adjusted at any time based on local case numbers. In May, Xi’an’s quarantine was stricter than Beijing’s. Here’s a tip: if your entry city is Xi’an (14+14), your destination is Beijing (14+7), and your hometown is Shanghai, Shenzhen, Suzhou or Shandong (14+0), then after 14 days in Xi’an, it’s wise to spend those 7 free days in Shanghai/Shenzhen/Suzhou/Shandong before returning to Beijing.
May 13: The hotel messaged us that we’d be released from quarantine at 6:45 a.m. on May 16 and advised booking a flight at least 3 hours later. I called Hainan Airlines at 95339 and booked a 10:30 a.m. flight; baggage allowance remained unchanged and we got one free change within 30 days. However, that afternoon the hotel sent another message saying that due to the epidemic we needed to be at the airport 2 hours early, so a 10:30 flight would be too tight. I had to change to a 2:30 p.m. flight. (The hotel’s notice was mistaken – ideally, book a flight about 4.5 hours after release from quarantine.) That afternoon, the community proactively contacted me, recorded all our details, and said that because the weekend was approaching, all info had to be submitted to the subdistrict office before Friday for seamless coordination.
May 14–15: We took a nucleic acid test in the morning. The hotel informed us that results would come around midnight and started confirming the departure time for the next day’s release. They also gave out hotel invoices.
May 16: At 6:47 a.m., if the hotel didn’t call, that meant we were cleared from quarantine and could reunite with family. We were scheduled to leave for the airport at 10:45. We went downstairs on time, collected our release certificate, nucleic acid test report, and invoice. The hotel lobby remained under strict security, with all staff in full protective gear. A dedicated vehicle took us to the airport, and a staff member accompanied us all the way while we checked our luggage and went to the boarding gate. From then on, we were no different from any other passenger – shopping, eating, boarding, landing, collecting luggage. When you’re about to exit Terminal 2, remember the rule: anyone who hasn’t completed 21 days must do 7 days of centralized quarantine. At the exit area, look for staff in full protective clothing, register your information, and then wait in the waiting area for the community vehicle. Because we had contacted our community in advance, their epidemic prevention staff and vehicle were already there. However, we had a lot of luggage and needed two trips; luckily the Chaoyang district quarantine hotel was right by the airport, so a round trip took only 20 minutes. We checked into the GreenTree Inn Hotel near the airport. It’s a budget hotel, about 2- or 3-star standard – basic, but free of charge, and couples can stay together. The hotel staff were also in full protective gear. We checked in successfully at 8 p.m. and began the final 7 days of quarantine with my spouse.
