In response to nationwide protests in China that were sparked by the world's strictest Covid-19 restrictions, the world's second-largest economy is softening its tone on the severity of Covid-19 and easing some of the restrictions even as its daily case toll ticks up close to record highs.
Several cities in China, while still reporting new infections, are lifting district lockdowns and allowing businesses to reopen, reported the news agency Reuters.
The health authorities have announced the relaxation of measures without commenting on the nationwide protests, which included candle-lit vigils in Beijing, clashes with the police on the streets of Guangzhou and Shanghai police using pepper spray to stop 300 protesters from demonstrating.
The protests marked the largest act of civil disobedience in China since President Xi Jinping assumed office a decade ago.
Despite near-record case numbers, Vice Premier Sun Chunlan, who oversees Covid efforts, said the virus's ability to cause disease was weakening, Reuters reported citing state media.
"The country is facing a new situation and new tasks in epidemic prevention and control as the pathogenicity of the Omicron virus weakens, more people are vaccinated and experience in containing the virus is accumulated," Sun said in comments reported in state media, as quoted by Reuters.
Sun also urged further "optimisation" of testing, treatment and quarantine policies.
Changing of rules
After violent protests in Guangzhou, authorities in at least seven districts said they were lifting temporary lockdowns. One district said it would allow in-person classes in schools to resume and would reopen restaurants and other businesses including cinemas.
Some changes are being implemented with little fanfare.
According to new rules issued by the neighbourhood committee and seen by Reuters, a community of thousands in east Beijing is allowing infected people with mild symptoms to isolate at home rather than moving them to quarantine sites.
Neighbours on the same floor and three stories above and below the home of a positive case should also quarantine at home, a committee member said as reported by Reuters.
That is a far cry from quarantine protocols earlier in the year when entire communities were locked down, sometimes for weeks, after even just one positive case was found.
Residents said that another community nearby is holding an online poll this week on the possibility of positive cases isolating at home.
"I certainly welcome the decision by our residential community to run this vote regardless of the outcome," said resident Tom Simpson, managing director for China at the China-Britain Business Council, reported by Reuters.
Prominent nationalist commentator Hu Xijin said in a social media post on Wednesday that many asymptomatic carriers of coronavirus in Beijing were already quarantining at home.
Among other relaxations announced, the southwestern city of Chongqing will allow close contacts of people with Covid, who meet certain conditions, to quarantine at home, while Zhengzhou in central China announced the "orderly" resumption of businesses, including supermarkets, gyms and restaurants.
National health officials said this week that authorities would respond to "urgent concerns" raised by the public and that Covid rules should be implemented more flexibly, according to a region's conditions.
China reported 36,061 new Covid-19 infections for Wednesday, of which 4,150 were symptomatic and 31,911 asymptomatic, the National Health Commission (NHC) said.
(With inputs from Reuters)