The Chinese leadership will take steps toward reopening the country after imposing three years of tough pandemic restrictions following the outbreak of Covid-19 in 2020, the Wall Street Journal said in a report.
The authorities are working on relaxing border controls for inbound travellers from abroad and reducing the number of days they are expected to remain in quarantine.
Breaking: Chinese leaders are considering steps toward exiting their zero-Covid policy but have set no timeline, according to people familiar with the discussions https://t.co/4umZTL2FP2
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) November 7, 2022
The required number of days where a foreign traveller has to remain in isolation can be cut down to seven days, the Wall Street Journal said in its report citing officials familiar with the developments.
However, despite these developments there is no timeline set and the Communist Party of China (CPC) and other authorities still have vowed to stick to Zero Covid. Even if changes are introduced, many measures will continue to remain in place.
The relaxation of Covid-19 could also see a fall in the number of PCR tests people will have to take. Within this month itself, the frequency of the routine PCR tests that retail businesses have to conduct could reduce. The frequent and citywide PCR tests that test every citizen in a particular city or region are a staple of Zero Covid.
The Wall Street Journal said that the number of PCR testing stations will also be brought down.
However, these new rules will be slowly implemented and pre-pandemic normalcy could be attained in China after a year.
The report also pointed out that the clamping down on outbreaks on a war-footing will continue in the same fashion as it is done now. The report said that there could be less strict measures for cities compared to rural and semi-urban regions.
People will still have to scan QR health codes on their phones to access public spaces and incoming travellers will still be subjected to several rounds of testing and strict quarantine.
Officials in Beijing are likely to treat Covid-19 as a Class B disease, the Wall Street Journal said. China currently treats the disease as a Class A disease, which calls for stricter public-health measures.
The message that will be given to Chinese citizens is that the government has emerged victorious over Covid-19.
China is also taking these measures because it is affecting the economy. Even the reduction of Covid-19 testing is to cut costs as citywide testing is expensive as the authorities aim to test every citizen.
China is also dependent on the WHO for its announcement. If the WHO still considers Covid to be a public-health emergency of international concern and does not change its outlook, it could impact reopening plans. The WHO meets every three months to assess the situation and make recommendations.
Chinese authorities also fear that less rates of immunisation among the elderly and new variants springing up could lead to people falling sick, leading to hospitalisations, which will then impact the confidence people have in the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Xi Jinping.
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