According to the national standard, cities, counties and districts with no active cases or with no new infections in the past 14 days are categorized as low-risk.

Those with new infections in the past 14 days but fewer than 50 cumulative confirmed cases, or with over 50 such cases but without a concentrated outbreak in the past 14 days, are categorized as medium-risk.

Searches for flights and train tickets from Beijing to other cities quintupled within 30 minutes of the capital announcing that people could leave without a test result, according to online travel agency Ly.

Liu Lin, an office worker in her 30s, who immediately booked a ticket to Sanya, a tourist destination in Hainan province, said she had been waiting too long for this trip.

"I believe Beijing will get everything back to normal soon," she said.

Li Yuan, chief executive of a technology company in Beijing, who is also in his 30s, said he was glad to hear news of the relaxed policy, as it would enable marketing managers to take business trips without spending time on tests.
"Hopefully, sales for my businesses can recover soon," he said.