Covid is weakening, China state media claims, as major cities lift lockdowns

An expert on China's state media claims that the management protocols could be changed after protests last week caused a shift in Beijing's commitment to its zero- Covid policy.

Since January 2020, China has classified Covid-19 as a Category B infectious disease, but has managed it under Category A protocols, which gives local authorities the power to put patients and their close contacts intoQuarantine and lock down affected regions.

bubonic plague is a category A disease in China. Class A is the category for infectious diseases that can be easily spread and have a high mortality rate.

The fatality rate in China is very low, according to an infectious disease expert. Yicai reported on Sunday that adhering to Class A management is not compatible with science.

The expert said that Covid-19 could be demoted to Category B or Category C.

The approval of the State Council is required for any adjustment to the management of infectious diseases.

China is facing a new situation as the Omicron virus weakens, becoming the first high-ranking government official to publicly acknowledge that. The reduced severity is being promoted by the government and its media.

It marked a dramatic change in the country's stance on the zero- Covid policy, which was dictated by the protests. China's 1.4 billion people were mostly protected from the virus during the Pandemic, but were challenged by the emergence of more transmissible versions. Sometimes over just a few cases, local officials who failed to control local outbreaks were turning to overzealous responses.

Prof Chi Chunhuei, the director of Oregon State University's centre for global health, said that many local party leaders took more extreme measures in order to appeal to Xi.

The zero- Covid strategy is still in place despite the fact that some of the more stringent restrictions have been lifted. If restrictions were lifted completely, millions of people could die.

Covid restrictions have been managed by a variety of levels of government. It looks like the easing of restrictions is the same as before.

In order to board public transport in Beijing, Zhengzhou, and Shenzhen, a negative test result is required. The requirement that hospitals refuse people with a negative result from entering is still in place in other cities.

According to state media, a negative test from within the last three days is still required for entry into public places.

The number of reported cases has gone down in some areas.

The information at this stage will be a bit chaotic, said the former editor of the Global Times.

According to analysts, exiting zero- Covid will be a major political challenge for the president. There have been reports of confusion and complaints as the repeal of some zero-covid infrastructure clashed with rules still in place, such as the reduction in testing stations causing long lines for those who still need tests to travel or take part in particular activities.

One Weibo user asked, "What's the point in closing testing booths before showing test results completely?"

China is one of the last countries trying to stop transmission completely. The Communist party is determined to stick to its hard-line strategy due to concerns over vaccine rates.

Only a small percentage of people over the age of 80 have received a booster shot for the vaccine, according to the commission. A majority of people over the age of 60 are vaccine free.

Protesters in Beijing and Shanghai demanded an easing of Covid restrictions. Some called for the Chinese president to go.

With the news agency.