China announced on Wednesday a general relaxation of sanitary rules by the coronavirusabandoning the restrictive strategy against COVID-19 that generated a historic wave of protests throughout the country.
The unrest over the covid zero policy of Chinawhich involves sudden lockdowns, continuous testing and quarantines even for uninfected people, led to demonstrations not seen since the pro-democracy movement of 1989.
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The authorities tried to quell these protests but, at the same time, they began to respond to the demands, first at the local level and now at the national level.
The new guidelines presented on Wednesday by the National Health Commission (CNS) indicate that the magnitude and scope of PCR tests (almost routine under covid zero) will be reduced.
Confinements will also be minimized and people with non-serious covid cases will be able to isolate at home instead of being sent to government facilities.
Also, the population should not show a green health code on their phone to enter buildings and public spacesexcept in “geriatric homes, medical institutions, day care centers, and intermediate and higher education centers.”
“Asymptomatic infected individuals and mild cases who can isolate at home will generally self-isolate at home”ending the requirement to quarantine at a government facility, the new rules state.
“The massive PCR tests will only be carried out in schools, hospitals, nursing homes and high-risk work units. The scope and frequency of PCR tests will be further reduced”, they add.
In addition, “people traveling between provinces must not provide a test result in the previous 48 hours and do not need to take a test upon arrival.”
China will also speed up vaccination of the elderly population, long seen as one of the main obstacles to relaxing the covid zero policy.
speech change
Demonstrations against this restrictive Communist Party policy erupted across the country late last month. Some called for more political freedoms or even the resignation of the president Xi Jinping.
Since then, several Chinese cities have rolled back some of the most annoying restrictions.
The capital Beijingwith many businesses already fully reopened, said this week that citizens should not present a negative test in the last 48 hours to access public transport.
Shanghaiwhich suffered a harsh two-month lockdown this year, announced similar measures and It will allow its inhabitants to enter open places such as parks and tourist attractions without presenting a recent test.
Even the state-controlled media, once filled with grim news about the dangers of the virus and the havoc wreaked on other countries, drastically toned down to minimize the risks of infection.
The omicron variant prevalent “is not at all like last year’s delta variant,” said professor of medicine Chong Yutian in an article published by the Communist Party’s China Youth Daily.
“After infection with the variant omicronthe vast majority will have mild or no symptoms, and very few will develop severe symptoms,” he said.
But analysts at the Japanese firm Nomura calculated on Monday that 53 cities in Chinawith a third of the national population, maintained restrictions.
Wednesday’s announcement came hours after the government released new figures that show the strong economic impact of the zero covid policy.
Chinese imports and exports fell in November to levels not seen since early 2020, when the pandemic paralyzed the country.
Imports fell 10.6% year-on-year to November, according to the General Administration of Customs. Exports fell 8.7% in the same period.