Topline
China on Wednesday announced it would ease some pandemic restrictions across the country, including harsh quarantine measures and lifting some barriers to travel between regions, signaling a step away from the harsh zero-Covid strategy that triggered public protests across several major cities last month.
A health worker takes a swab sample from a woman to test for the Covid-19 coronavirus in the Jing’an … [+]
Key Facts
Under changes outlined by China’s National Health Commission, Covid positive individuals who are either asymptomatic or have mild symptoms will be allowed to self-isolate at home instead of in government quarantine facilities.
People will no longer be required to show a negative test result or a health code on China’s Covid app before traveling between regions or entering public venues—with the exception of hospitals, schools, nursing homes, and other vulnerable locations.
The new policy aims to pull back on the widespread use of PCR tests to detect positive cases—which will now only be limited to areas and occupations deemed high-risk—while encouraging a shift to using rapid antigen tests.
The new rules will also significantly narrow the scope of Covid lockdowns, limiting them to specific buildings, floors or even households as necessary instead of sealing off entire residential blocks, neighborhoods or towns.
Locked-down locations will implement a “quick sealing and quick release” approach where an area delineated as “high risk” will be immediately reopened after five consecutive days with no new infections.
Tangent
In a move that appears to be a direct response to the recent protests against the zero-Covid measures, the health commission’s new rules “strictly” forbid the blocking of fire exits, unit doors and emergency escapes. The death of 10 people in a building fire in the city of Urumqi last month served as one of the catalysts for the protests, with many believing that the lockdown measures prevented firefighters and emergency workers from mounting an effective rescue. The rules also ban restrictions on businesses, offices and the movement of people in “non-high-risk areas.”
Big Number
9. That is the total number of Covid-19 deaths that China has reported since the start of November. While the country saw a massive surge in cases last month, peaking at more than 40,000 infections a day—a record high for the country since the start of the pandemic—a large number of these cases have been asymptomatic. New cases across the country also appear to be on the decline with 25,321 new cases reported on Wednesday.
Key Background
The change in approach comes after a surge in new Covid infections across the country caused by the highly transmissible omicron variant. The steep rise in cases raised questions about the effectiveness of the zero-Covid approach as public discontent against harsh lockdowns and repeated mass testing grew. Public anger reached a tipping point following the tragedy in Urumqi as people blamed the deaths of ten people on Covid lockdowns. This triggered unprecedented protests against the Chinese government and leader Xi Jinping across several major cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Nanjing and others.
Further Reading
China’s Zero-Covid Strategy: What Is It, Why Are People Protesting And What Comes Next (Forbes)
China’s Worst Reported Month Of Covid Was Nothing Compared To The United States (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2022/12/07/china-ditches-zero-covid-in-major-overhaul-to-pandemic-rules/