Residents of the Chinese capital Beijing were allowed into parks, supermarkets, offices and airports on Tuesday without a negative Covid-19 test, the latest move in a combination of easing measures across the country following unprecedented protests against a strict health policy.
“Beijing prepares for life again,” read a headline in the state-owned China Daily, adding that people are “gradually embracing” the new freedoms.
Authorities have eased some of the toughest Covid-19 restrictions by several notches and softened their tone on the threat of the virus, in what many hope will be a more profound shift towards normality three years into the pandemic.
“This could be the first step towards reopening,” Hu Dongxu, 27, told Reuters as he swiped his travel card to enter a Beijing train station, also eliminating the need for tests to use the subway.
Also, both city airports no longer require people to be tested to enter the terminal, state media reported, although there was no indication of a change in the rule of negative testing before boarding a flight.
The easing of rules follows a series of protests last month that marked the largest outburst of public unrest in China since President Xi Jinping took office in 2012.
China could announce 10 new easing measures as early as Wednesday, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
The prospect of easing has sparked optimism among investors that the world’s second-largest economy will regain strength and help spur global growth.
Some people remain fearful of contracting the virus, especially the elderly, while there are concerns about the strain the slowdown could place on a fragile healthcare system.
China has reported 5,235 Covid-19-related deaths as of Monday, but some experts have warned the number could exceed one million if reopening is too fast.
Meanwhile, officials continue to downplay the dangers posed by the virus, coming close to what other countries have been saying for more than a year by abandoning restrictions and choosing to live with the virus even as it spreads.
“The most difficult period is over,” the official Xinhua News Agency said in a comment on Monday, citing the weakening pathogenicity of the virus and efforts to vaccinate 90 percent of the population.
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Source: Terra
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
