Beijing, Shenzhen Loosen More COVID Curbs
Beijing residents on Saturday cheered the removal of COVID-19 testing booths while Shenzhen said it would no longer require commuters to present test results to travel, as an easing of China’s virus curbs gathered pace.
Although daily cases are near all-time highs, some cities are taking steps to loosen COVID testing requirements and quarantine rules as “China looks to make its zero-COVID policy more targeted amid a sharp economic slowdown and public frustration that has boiled over into unrest.”
The southern city of Shenzhen announced “it would no longer require people to show a negative COVID test result to use public transport or enter parks,” following similar moves by Chengdu and Tianjin.
Many testing booths in Beijing have been shut, as the capital stops demanding negative test results as a condition to enter places such as supermarkets and prepares to do so for subways from Monday. Many other venues, including offices, still require testing.
Three years after COVID emerged in central China, the nation has been a global outlier with a zero-tolerance approach of lockdowns and frequent testing. The authorities say the measures are needed to save lives and avoid overwhelming China’s healthcare system.
China began tweaking its approach last month, urging localities to become more targeted. Initial reactions, however, were marked with confusion and even tighter lockdowns as cities scrambled to keep a lid on rising cases.
Then a deadly apartment fire last month in the far western city of Urumqi sparked dozens of protests against COVID curbs in over 20 cities in a wave unprecedented in mainland China since President Xi Jinping took power in 2012.
Authorities detained several people who participated in the protests and police in cities such as Shanghai have been checking commuters’ phones for apps or virtual private network software that protesters used to communicate, according to protesters and social media posts.
On Saturday, police kept a heavy presence around Liangmaqiao junction in east Beijing, as authorities sought to put off any potential follow-up to last weekend’s unrest.
Reuters /Shakirat Sadiq
