Vaccine

Following the protests against harsh Covid measures, China seems to be going from strict lockdowns to opening up and relaxing controls almost overnight. While the health system is under strain and nerves are wrecked, the Chinese people have shown that they are quite capable of adapting to change, especially if large cities like Beijing lead the way.

Chinese academic Zhang Tiankan explains why some estimates that China's reopening without safeguards could result in 1.5 million to 2 million deaths is improbable if one looks at the facts. Such predictions could cause public alarm and mislead policy making.

Following the protests against China’s strict Covid controls, the authorities have released ten new measures to ease or lift many Covid rules and restrictions. But while many people have been looking forward to this day, there is also anxiety as to what to expect with the sudden overnight changes.

East Asian Institute senior research fellow Lance Gore observes that the recent protests in China have highlighted the deep generational gap between the leaders of the country and the protesters. In tandem with the modernisation of society, there needs to be the modernisation of politics, allowing greater room for political participation and dialogue.

With the sudden easing of anti-epidemic rules and Beijing’s latest surge in Covid-19 cases, people have been caught out by insufficient medication and are swarming to pharmacies and hospitals. Zaobao correspondent Yu Zeyuan gives a peek into the situation on the ground.

After an almost three-year-long hyper-restrictive “zero-Covid” policy, the Chinese government seems to have finally relented. But for China to comprehensively revamp its Covid-19 control regime and fully reopen, some daunting challenges remain.

China’s Covid-19 strategy has constantly been in the process of tightening and easing restrictions, and the key challenges now will be addressing the rate of deaths and critical cases among the elderly, preventing a squeeze on medical resources and mitigating public doubts about Covid-19 control policies.

The Chinese central government has not mentioned the “dynamic zero-Covid” policy as of late, sparking hopes that it will further ease Covid-19 control measures. With public anger boiling over in the form of protests in several cities, more signs of easing are needed. The path to reopening will not be smooth, but Zaobao associate editor Han Yong Hong notes that any form of progress towards normalcy would be reassuring for the Chinese people.

China's renowned virologist Guan Yi has reappeared in public as the newly appointed chief of the Shanghai Virus Research Institute, after being denounced for his alarmist views of the pandemic at the start of its outbreak and speaking against the zero-Covid measures. But now, will his return mark an end to the harsh restrictions that have left the Chinese economy in a dire state?