DECEMBER 8, 2022:
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — People across China are reacting with relief and caution to the dramatic government decision to loosen some of the world’s most severe COVID-19 restrictions. For the first time in months, Jenny Jian hit the gym in the southern metropolis of Guangzhou without being required to scan the “health code” on her smartphone. That’s part of a nationwide system that tracks where hundreds of millions of people go. Elsewhere, virus tests no longer were required to enter many public places under changes announced Wednesday (Dec. 7, 2022). They followed nationwide protests against restrictions that have confined millions of families to their homes. While it’s not clear if the new rules are a direct response to the protests, they address some of the most pressing issues that drove people on the streets.
DECEMBER 7, 2022:
BEIJING (AP) — China has rolled back rules on isolating people with COVID-19 and dropped virus test requirements for some public places. That is a dramatic change to a strategy that confined millions of people to their homes and sparked protests and demands for President Xi Jinping to resign. The move adds to earlier easing that fueled hopes Beijing was scrapping its “zero COVID” strategy. Experts warn that restrictions can’t be lifted completely until at least mid-2023 because millions of elderly people still must be vaccinated and the health care system strengthened. China is the last major country still trying to stamp out transmission of the virus while many nations switch to trying to live with it.
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