Beijing, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Chongqing, among others, have announced earlier relaxations, for example on testing policy and quarantine rules. The steps taken after the rare protests against the strict anti-virus policy took place in several cities.
Very strict measures
For a long time, China has tried to eliminate the number of infections with lockdowns and other very severe measures. For example, the whole of Shanghai was subject to a weeks-long lockdown this spring. Beijing began adjusting its coronavirus strategy last month and urged local authorities to take a targeted approach.
President Xi Jinping is said to have said during a meeting with European Council President Charles Michel on Thursday that the omikron variant of the coronavirus paves the way for less stringent corona measures, EU officials said. Omikron is less lethal than previously dominant varieties in China.