BEIJING, Jan. 17 -- China saw an average of 501,000 exits and entries per day since the country optimized its immigration administration policies and measures on Jan. 8, the National Immigration Administration (NIA) said Tuesday.

The number increased by 48.2 percent after Jan. 8, while immigration administrations nationwide handled an average of 341,000 certificates for exit and entry per day since the date, up by 129.4 percent, according to a press conference of the NIA.

Over 3,200 certificate-issuance windows and 53 ports' border-control channels opened after the adjustment to the immigration administration policies, based on the NIA's monitoring and analysis of inbound and outbound flows, said the administration.

China optimized its immigration administration policies and measures on Jan. 8 in compliance with the country's downgraded COVID-19 response measures. The optimized policies and measures include the resumption of accepting and approving Chinese citizens' applications for ordinary passports for tourism and visiting friends abroad starting from the date.