Beijing is gradually relaxing its “zero Covid” policy. China announces a general relaxation of health rules against Covid-19, Wednesday, December 7, authorizing certain positive cases to carry out their quarantine at home and reducing its use of generalized PCR tests.
According to new guidelines released by the National Health Commission (NHC), “asymptomatic infected people and mild cases that can be isolated at home generally will be”. This is a radical change from the norm in force in China for almost three years, which required that any positive case be taken to a quarantine center.
The country will also “further reduce the scope of nucleic acid testing and reduce its frequency”while he had previously asked residents to test themselves several times a week to be able to access any public place.
Fewer tests for traveling
Another novelty announced on Wednesday: it will now be possible to travel from one Chinese province to another without having to present a negative PCR test less than 48 hours old, and no test will be required on arrival either.
This national easing of restrictions, which follows relaxations announced in recent days in several Chinese cities and provinces, also comes ten days after a wave of demonstrations against the country’s “zero Covid” policy. In a dozen cities in the country, the demonstrators, mostly young, had shouted their weariness of the harsh health policy, some even demanding the departure of President Xi Jinping.