Chinese official signals change in COVID response as some cities lift lockdowns

Peculiarities
  • Anger over China’s COVID-19 policy has sparked protests in major cities including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.
  • A senior China official on COVID-19 and several cities have signaled a possible relaxation of the country’s strict approach.
  • This is due to the fact that in recent days some cities have lifted quarantine.
China’s top COVID-19 official and several cities have signaled a possible loosening of the country’s strict zero-tolerance approach to the virus following nationwide protests calling for an end to lockdowns and more political freedom.
Anger at China’s COVID-19 policy, which includes massive lockdowns, constant testing and quarantine of even uninfected people, has sparked protests in major cities including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

But while the authorities have called for “harsh measures” in the wake of the demonstrations, they have also begun hinting that there may be an easing of the tough strategy to deal with the virus at work.

Sources told Reuters that the country is set to announce in the coming days that it is easing COVID-19 quarantine restrictions and reducing mass testing.
Cases across the country remain close to record highs, but changes are coming as some cities lift lockdowns in recent days.
Health authorities announcing easing in their areas did not mention the protests, China’s biggest show of civil disobedience in years.
Measures to be made public include reducing the use of mass testing and regular nucleic acid tests, as well as steps to isolate positive cases and close contacts at home under certain conditions, people familiar with the matter said.

This is a far cry from earlier protocols that led to public frustration as entire communities were put on lockdown, sometimes for weeks, even after a single positive case.

Disappointment erupted last week in demonstrations of public defiance unprecedented in mainland China since President Xi Jinping took power in 2012. The unrest comes as the economy enters a new era of much slower growth than it has been in decades.
Less than 24 hours after violent protests in Guangzhou on Tuesday, authorities in at least seven districts of the sprawling manufacturing hub said they were lifting temporary restrictions. One county said it would allow schools, restaurants and businesses, including movie theaters, to reopen.

Cities including Chongqing and Zhengzhou also announced easing.

China faces ‘new situation’, says senior official

A sense of official momentum for a momentous shift came on Thursday when Vice Premier Sun Chunlan, who oversees COVID efforts, told a meeting of advanced experts that the Omicron variant is waning in its ability to cause disease, allowing China to improve preventive measures.
“After nearly three years of fighting the epidemic, our country’s medical and health system has stood the test,” she said in comments released by the official Xinhua news agency.
“The vaccination rate of the entire population is over 90 percent, and public health awareness and quality have improved significantly,” she said.
State media reported that Ms Sun had said a day earlier that China was facing a “new situation” in its response to COVID and called for further “optimization” of testing, treatment and quarantine policies.
The mention of the waning pathogenicity of COVID contrasts with previous reports by the usually hawkish Ms Sun about the lethality of the virus.
“Sun’s (previous) performance, in addition to a notable easing in Guangzhou’s COVID response measures yesterday, sends another strong signal that the zero-COVID policy will end within the next few months,” Nomura analysts said in a research note.

“These two events may indicate the beginning of the end of COVID zero.”

Expectations have risen around the world that China, still trying to contain the infection, might try to reopen its borders at some point next year once it achieves higher vaccination rates among its hesitant older people.
Health experts warn of widespread illness and death if COVID is released before vaccination is ramped up.
Chinese stocks and markets around the world initially fell after weekend protests in Shanghai, Beijing and other cities, but later rebounded on hopes that public pressure could lead to a new approach by the authorities.
While the change in tone on COVID appears to be a response to public discontent with the crackdown, authorities are also looking for those present at the demonstrations for questioning.

The China Dissent Monitor, run by the US government-funded Freedom House, estimates that there were at least 27 demonstrations across China from Saturday to Monday. The Australian think tank ASPI assessed 51 protests in 24 cities.