(Bloomberg) -- The US is set to lift Covid-19 testing requirements for travelers from China as soon as this week, people familiar with the matter said, a significant step toward normalizing links between the two countries as the pandemic recedes. 

The Biden administration in January ordered all travelers older than 2 to provide a negative test before entering the US, after China’s pivot away from strict Covid restrictions led to a massive outbreak. 

The measure was initially put in place to protect American citizens while the US could determine the impact of the outbreak in China and gain insight into the variants that were circulating, the people said.

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The measure will be lifted because the US has evidence that cases, hospitalizations and deaths are declining in China, they added. The Biden administration will continue to monitor cases in China and other countries and will keep in place the traveler-based genomic surveillance program. 

Allies and partners have lifted similar restrictions for inbound flights from China and the US consulted with them on public health measures, according to the people.

The Washington Post reported on the plans earlier Tuesday.

When asked about the US possibly ending the requirement, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said Wednesday at a regular press briefing in Beijing that her nation hoped “relevant countries will work together with China to facilitate cross-border travel.”

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Removing the testing requirement will clear one of the last hurdles facing post-Covid global travel, particularly for business fliers going between the world’s two biggest economies. The move also potentially opens a window for Beijing to reciprocate by easing its own pre-flight testing rules for people coming from the US.  

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Barriers to full normalization remain. China still demands PCR tests for travelers coming from the US — and has airline crew check the result before boarding — despite allowing people from some countries to just provide rapid antigen tests. Results might checked on a random basis upon arrival, according to a post from the Chinese embassy in the US. 

Flights between the US and China also remain capped at 12 per week. There are just 172 flights scheduled between the US and China for this month, 94.1% lower than the same time in 2019, according to flight data company Cirium. 

March of the pre-pandemic year saw 2,926 flights offering almost 850,000 seats among US and Chinese carriers flying in both directions. 

--With assistance from Philip Glamann.

(Updates with comment from China’s Foreign Ministry.)

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