China has renamed the term for COVID-19 from "novel coronavirus pneumonia" to "novel coronavirus infection," according to a statement released by the National Health Commission on Monday.

Starting from January 8, China will downgrade management of the disease from Class A to Class B in accordance with the country's law on the prevention and treatment of infectious disease and remove it from quarantinable infectious disease management carried out in accordance with the Frontier Health and Quarantine Law of the People's Republic of China, added the statement.

The downgrade, a major change to China's antivirus strategy, means inbound travelers will no longer have to undergo quarantine or take a nucleic acid test upon arrival in the country, the State Council said in a document released on Monday.

Isolation of infected people, tracking of close contacts and classification of at-risk areas will be scrapped. Testing services will be available for those wanting to take a test, and reporting of epidemic information, which is currently published daily, will be published monthly, the notice said.

The downgrade will help concentrate resources to protect vulnerable groups and help people's lives return to normal while ensuring their other medical needs are met. It will also minimize the epidemic's impact on society and the economy.

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