(Reuters) – BEIJING, May 18 – As it fine-tunes procedures to deal with the Omicron version, China has reduced some COVID-19 test requirements for travellers flying in from countries like the United States and shortened the pre-departure quarantine for some inbound visitors.

According to notices from the Chinese embassy and consulates in the United States, travellers from the United States would no longer need an RT-PCR test seven days before travelling as of Friday. Antibody test requirements have also been eliminated.

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Those passengers will still be required to do two RT-PCR tests within 48 or 24 hours of their travels, as well as another pre-flight antigen test, according to the notices.

However, travellers who have recovered from a previous infection will still be required to spend six weeks in isolation before proceeding with any procedures, according to the warnings.

Travel to and from China has decreased as the country implements “dynamic COVID zero” rules, which include restrictions on passport issuance and renewal, mandatory quarantine for most visitors upon arrival, and airline cancellations.

However, due to Omicron’s reduced incubation period, overseas travellers have been able to travel more freely. The city of Beijing has lowered the quarantine period for visitors arriving at centralised facilities from 14 to 10 days.

The Chinese embassy in Canada said on Thursday that the removal of RT-PCR tests seven days before flights and the elimination of antibody tests will begin on Sunday for visitors to China from Canada.

On Wednesday, the UAE, Serbia, and Bangladesh embassies announced that they had abolished various testing requirements and reduced the pre-departure quarantine period for employees of Chinese enterprises flying to China from 21 days to 10 days.