BEIJING, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- China will cancel nucleic acid tests for international arrivals starting from Jan. 8, a statement on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Tuesday.

Inbound travelers to China are advised to take a nucleic acid test within 48 hours before their departure. People with a positive test result are advised to postpone their travels until they test negative, it said.

There is no need for travelers to apply for a health code from Chinese diplomatic and consular missions. According to the statement, they will declare their health status on the customs card.

Those with an abnormal health status declaration or fever symptoms will receive an antigen test at customs. They will be advised to self-isolate at home until recovery or be treated in a hospital, depending on their health conditions, it said.

China will scrap restrictions on international passenger flights, increase the number of flights in stages, and optimize the distribution of routes, according to the statement.

Airlines will continue to carry out disinfection on board, and passengers are required to wear masks when flying, it said.

China will further optimize arrangements for foreigners traveling to China for work, business, study, family visits, and reunions, and provide visa facilitations accordingly, it said.

Measures will be taken to ensure that freight at various ports will return to pre-epidemic levels as soon as possible, and outbound tourism for Chinese citizens will be resumed in an orderly manner, said the statement.

The changes are in line with optimized domestic epidemic prevention and control measures. These measures will coordinate epidemic prevention and control with economic and social development and make cross-border travel more convenient, safe, orderly and efficient. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin made these comments at a regular news briefing when asked about the new measures.

Starting from Jan. 8, China will downgrade management of the disease from Class A to Class B under the country's law on the prevention and treatment of infectious disease and remove it from quarantinable infectious disease management in a major shift of its epidemic response policies.