Officials have downplayed the threats posed by the virus, moving China closer to what other nations have said for more than a year as they have chosen to live with the infection and lift restrictions.
People in Beijing, the capital of China, are now permitted to enter parks, stores, and offices without proof of a negative COVID-19 test, easing among of the world’s strictest restrictions against the virus.
Since President Xi Jinping assumed power in 2012, last month’s anti-lockdown demonstrations were the largest public display of anger on the Chinese mainland.
The government-owned China Daily newspaper proclaimed, “Beijing readies itself for a new lease on life.
According to the linked article, people are “gradually embracing” their restored liberties.
No longer is a negative COVID test required to board the metro or enter the city’s airports. However, there was no mention of modifying the requirement requiring passengers to present negative tests before boarding.
In anticipation of the ultimate reopening of China’s economy, the Chinese yuan has climbed almost 5% against the dollar since early November.
Commuter traffic in key cities such as Beijing and Chongqing has remained at fractions of typical levels despite the modifications.
Some, particularly the elderly, are wary of contracting the virus, and there is concern about the impact relaxing restrictions could have on China’s frail health system.
As of yesterday, China had documented 5,235 COVID-related deaths, but some experts warn that number could surpass one million if the country relaxes its regulations too rapidly.
China pushing toward viral coexistence
Officials have downplayed the threats posed by the virus, moving China closer to what other nations have said for more than a year as they have chosen to live with the infection and lift restrictions.
According to Chinese state television, Tong Zhaohui, head of the Beijing Institute of Respiratory Diseases, stated that the newest Omicron variety caused fewer cases of serious sickness than the 2009 worldwide influenza outbreak.
According to Reuters, China’s management of the virus might be dropped as early as January from the highest-level Category A of infectious disease to the less stringent Category B.
The most challenging period has passed.
“The most difficult era has gone,” the official Xinhua news agency wrote in a commentary, citing efforts to vaccinate 90 percent of the population.
In the meantime, eminent commentator Hu Xijin advocated for additional measures to facilitate travel throughout the nation.
The former editor-in-chief of the state-run tabloid Global Times wrote in a blog post, “The overall direction for the return to normal life is already very evident, and it is necessary to restore the free movement of people among provinces to revive the economy.”
