Beijing residents celebrate removal of test sites COVID-19while in Shenzhen, authorities have announced that those using public transport will no longer be required to present a negative test as some of the restrictions placed on China to stop the epidemic.

While daily cases are still hovering at record levels, some cities are taking steps to ease lockdown rules and remove testing requirements as China attempts to reverse its “COVID zero” policy amid an economic downturn and citizen outrage.

Shenzhen authorities have announced that they will no longer require those who use public transport or enter parks to test negative for COVID, which authorities in Chengdu and Tianjin have already done.

Many testing centers in Beijing have also been closed, as citizens no longer require a negative test to access supermarkets, and from Monday on the subway. In many other places, including offices, a negative test remains mandatory.

Three years into the pandemic, China is the only major economy in the world still pursuing a “COVID zero” policy, imposing lockdowns, patient quarantines and frequent population testing. The Chinese authorities emphasize that this is necessary to save lives and prevent the healthcare system from being overwhelmed.

Last month, Beijing began to loosen that approach, urging local authorities to introduce more targeted measures.

In addition, a deadly fire in an apartment building in the city of Urumqi in late November sparked protests against COVID measures, an unprecedented event in China.

New relaxation

China is expected to further loosen nationwide testing requirements and allow COVID patients and their close contacts to remain in home quarantine under certain conditions, people with knowledge of the matter said earlier this week.

Chinese President Xi Jinping during a meeting with EU officials. Beijing on Thursday attributed the protests in their country to young people who have recovered from years of COVID restrictions. Xi also added that the Omicron strain of coronavirus currently prevalent is paving the way for fewer restrictions, European officials said.

In China, officials have only recently begun to mitigate the danger of the Omicron strain, a significant shift in messaging in a country where fear of COVID is high. However, relief for many is accompanied by fear, especially for those who belong to more vulnerable groups.

And many analysts say they don’t expect a major opening in China just yet, at least until March 2023, citing China’s goal of vaccinating a significant proportion of older people thanks to its just-launched campaign.

Estimates of China’s death toll if it fully reopened range from 1.3 million to more than two million, though some researchers believe the death toll could drop sharply if the emphasis were on vaccinations.

“None of this should be interpreted as a fundamental departure from the zero COVID policy, but rather as an attempt to make it more targeted and less costly. The goal remains to reduce the number of cases to around zero,” Capital Economics said in a statement.

“The alternative to allowing the virus to spread widely before more older people have had time to get vaccinated and before health system capacity is increased would result in a higher death rate than in many Asian countries that opened up earlier,” he added.

^{According to REUTERS, APE-MPE}