Correspondent in Asia,
Riot and help in China’s big metropolises. On Wednesday, December 7, Beijing announced a dramatic loosening of its drastic “zero Covid” strategy, days after mass demonstrations condemned the tightening of health restrictions in place since the start of the pandemic. “Three years erased in the blink of an eye. Hope returned. Even if the implementation of the measures will take time” enthuses a Weibo messaging user, where the ad has gone viral, racking up nearly 500 million views in a matter of hours. But many remain skeptical, waiting to see the application on the grounds of this agiornamento, after months of intransigence between the central government and the provincial levels on the health front.
The powerful National Health Commission (CNH) has announced an important change allowing home quarantine for Covid 19 positive patients.Asymptomatic infected people and mild cases that can be isolated at home will be the majoritysaid the health tower of the world’s second largest economy. Beijing wields a heavy sword of Damocles that burdens the daily lives of Chinese people by constantly forcibly sending them to rudimentary and overcrowded hospitals or quarantine centers.
The practice was a pillar of the relentless health strategy imposed by President Xi Jinping after the Wuhan lockdown in 2020, unlike the rest of the planet. Under the new guidelines, only people with severe symptoms will be isolated in specific locations. This announcement confirms the practice since last week in the capital and many large cities, as observed Le Figaro.
Illumination of PCR tests
Another key measure is the reduction of the burden of repeated PCR tests, which have been punctuating the daily life of Chinese people for several months. The regime will dofurther reduce the scope and frequency of nucleic acid testingUntil then, he asked residents to test themselves several times a week to be able to enter any public place, restaurant or shopping center. A sanitary jacket that paralyzes the life of big cities and deals a big blow to economic activity.
Famous “code green» The main sesame circulating in smartphones must be deleted to restore the mobility of the impaired population. It will now be possible to travel from one province in China to another without the need to present a negative PCR test for less than 48 hours, and no test will be required upon arrival, according to CNH. But the border quarantine remains in place, still isolating China from the rest of the world.
The central government is confirming a trend revealed last week by Vice Premier Sun Chunlan, who acknowledged that “change» health control conditions, indicating the low level of danger of Omicron. The shift comes a day after thousands of Chinese protested in eighteen cities across the country in late November, expressing health and sometimes political fatigue, with some calling for “abandoned” President Si.
Suspicious Chinese
Chinese reacted with surprise to the spectacular announcement, cheering for some, remaining wary for many in the face of pressured authorities who have multiplied the controversial announcements in recent weeks. “You post your ad, but local authorities do,” points out a surfer from Shanxi, recalling that he still has to go into mandatory quarantine if he lands at Nanjing Airport. Many residents, especially in Shanghai, have seen health measures tighten in recent days as winter descends on the country and the population is largely fearful of the virus.
Others decry political chicanery by a regime that abruptly changes course without taking responsibility after brutally cracking down on protesters demanding freedoms. And ask to release the demonstrators, many of whom have been arrested or visited the police in recent days. “Free these young people who fought for our rights.“Run certain messages that have already been deleted by a large army of censors.
The shift comes amid growing economic woes that have been exacerbated by the “zero Covid” strategy, experts say. China’s exports and imports fell in November to levels not seen since the start of 2020, official figures showed on Wednesday.
The challenge is pressing for President Xi ahead of his third term as foreign investors pull away amid heightened geopolitics with the United States. The most influential leader since Mao prioritized “stabilityIn 2023, during the session of the Politburo on Tuesday. “We must focus on growth, employment and price stabilization, effective prevention of major risks and economic improvementXi said, barely mentioning the health strategy he had brusquely imposed on the country before the Party Congress last October.
Source: Le Figaro
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.