China on Wednesday abolished several preventive measures against covid-19, including isolation in designated facilities of all positive cases, marking the end of the ‘zero cases’ strategy, which is a source of popular discontent.
The Council of State (Executive) announced that those who test positive for the virus may, from now on, comply with home isolation, instead of being sent to designated facilities, often in degrading conditions.
The announcement also dictates that schools where no outbreaks have been reported must return to face-to-face teaching. Another measure envisions limiting the scale of lockdowns to floors and buildings, rather than entire districts and neighborhoods.
With the exception of hospitals, homes and schools, it is no longer necessary to present a negative result of the PCR test to access public places, a requirement that has been in force in recent months in the Asian country.
The change in policy comes after recent protests in various cities across the country against the ‘zero cases’ policy of Covid-19, which has generated a succession of tragedies and alleged abuses of authority and has imposed a quarantine on arrivals for almost three years. .from abroad.
The protests were sparked by a deadly fire at a building in the northwestern Chinese city of Urumqi. The protesters say that the blockades in the neighborhood, as part of the epidemic prevention measures, delayed the access of the fire truck. The residents were also unable to escape from the building, the door of which was locked.
When a positive case was detected in a neighborhood or building, gates and access doors were often closed, including emergency exits. Elevators were also often disabled and aluminum sheets were placed around the building or neighborhood, which was under 24-hour surveillance by private security guards.
In the statement, the Council of State explicitly prohibited “obstruction of ports.”
Authorities also called for “accelerating vaccination of the elderly,” asking local governments to increase the immunization rate among the elderly, one of the groups most vulnerable to dying or becoming seriously ill but also the most reluctant to get vaccinated. in Asia. country.
Discontent among the Chinese population has been building throughout this year, as the Omicron variant, considered highly contagious, has plunged the country into a cycle of lockdowns with no end in sight.
This week, the Chinese Communist Youth League admitted that the withdrawal of some measures is a response to protests across the country, in the first admission that Beijing is caving in to protesters’ demands.
“In recent days, divergent views have emerged on the local epidemic prevention strategy,” the League wrote, on its official WeChat social media account, adding that the rapid changes in policy show a level of responsiveness that it would be “impossible” anywhere else in the world.
In a meeting with European Council President Charles Michel last week, Chinese President Xi admitted that the protests reflected frustration with preventive measures against covid-19.
Source: TSF
