After dozens of protests in various Chinese cities, there are signs that the Beijing regime will indeed introduce a relaxation of the strict coronavirus measures. Deputy Prime Minister Sun Chunlan – who is charged with fighting the virus – said the China Health Commission (NHC) was working towards a “more people-oriented approach”.
British news agency Reuters reports today that more announcements will follow in the coming days that will amount to the phasing out of tougher lockdowns and other regulations the Chinese people are struggling with. According to observers, this is an important turning point. Guangzhou in the south, Shijiazhuang in the north, Chengdu in the southwest and other major cities are said to be already easing testing regulations and travel bans for citizens in contaminated areas. Here and there markets and bus services are suddenly open again.
Beijing residents who have tested positive can now self-quarantine at home instead of going there, a Chinese newspaper reported. a centralized and strictly controlled structure are shipped. Pregnant women, the elderly and people with underlying diseases would be eligible for home isolation.
It is remarkable that the language used by the central government has changed on the seriousness of the omicron variant. The tone is now more reassuring than that public health would be seriously threatened if strict rules were not respected, according to observers. A city district in the affected city of Guangzhou (population 18 million) today reopened schools, businesses and entertainment venues.
In shock
The timing and publicity surrounding the easing suggests President Xi Jinping’s government appears to have been shocked by it after all unprecedented protests and now public anger is trying to die down, observers said. The widely criticized restrictions in China due to the virus coincide with slower growth in the Chinese economy, which has also caused frustration.
According to the American think tank Freedom House, there were 51 protests in 24 cities this weekend. In announcements easing restrictions, state news agencies failed to mention last weekend’s protests against sometimes extreme anti-virus measures that have kept millions of Chinese confined to their homes.
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“Sun’s speech sends a signal that the zero-covid policy will end in a few months,” expects an observer. It was also typical for Deputy Prime Minister Sun to suddenly refer to foreign research to announce that deaths from the omikron variant are clearly lower than from previous variants. The daily number of Covid cases in mainland China rose to a new record of more than 41,000 yesterday.
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