Chinese authorities have opened borders that have been closed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Reuters reports.

After three years, the mainland is opening its border with Hong Kong and lifting the quarantine requirement for incoming travelers, dismantling the last pillar of COVID's zero-tolerance policy that protected Chinese residents from the virus but also cut them off from the rest of the country and the world.

China's weakening over the past month of one of the world's toughest COVID regimes followed protests against the policy, which included frequent testing, travel restrictions, and mass blockades that severely damaged the second-largest economy.