China defends dumping ‘zero-COVID’ policy

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – China on Wednesday defended its decision to dump the ‘zero-COVID' policy as the world’s largest populated nation moves to fully open for international travel.

Hua Chunying, the spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry, said the country’s “focus” on the COVID-19 response “has shifted from ‘infection prevention’ to ‘health protection and severe illness prevention’.”

“This is a step we take based on facts and the evolving circumstance, following a comprehensive assessment of virus mutations, the COVID situation and China’s prevention and control work. The purpose is to improve the science-based nature, precision and effectiveness of our COVID measures,” Hua wrote on Twitter.

Beijing’s defense of dumping its “zero-COVID” policy, under which it locked down neighborhoods, forcibly took people to government quarantine centers and required several negative COVID-19 tests from people for public engagement, comes after the US reportedly is considering new coronavirus precautions for travelers from China because of a surge in cases in the country.

Japan also said it will require travelers from China to present negative tests.

China's National Health Commission (NHC) announced on Monday it is downgrading the coronavirus from a Class A infectious disease to Class B to further ease measures in the country.

COVID-19 has changed from a "novel coronavirus pneumonia" to a "novel coronavirus infection," it said.

China will also not impose a quarantine on those entering the country and COVID-19 patients as of Jan. 8, in accordance with the Frontier Health and Quarantine Law of the People's Republic of China.

The NHC also said the “daily epidemic information will no longer be released.”

It will now be released on monthly basis by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention which will collect data for “reference and research.”

The decision comes as China contends with an alarming rise in infections, while the number of fatalities has also reportedly spiked.

Earlier this month, the NHC even stopped releasing statistics for asymptomatic cases.

The world’s most populous nation dumped its strict “zero-COVID” policy this month, following unrest and unprecedented protests in parts of the country.

The last update on the NHC website said 4,128 new infections and no deaths were reported last Friday, bringing the total cases since December 2019 to 397,195 with 5,241 fatalities.

Many, however, are questioning the veracity of the recent updates, particularly due to overcrowding seen at cremation houses in Beijing and surrounding areas.