China eases some COVID-19 restrictions in major cities
Chinese authorities announced easing COVID-19 restrictions in several major cities from Saturday.
Several major cities, including the capital Beijing and the northern coastal city of Tianjin, lifted the requirement that visitors show 48 or 72 hours of valid COVID-19 test results before entering any shopping mall or public place, according to the Global Times.
Beijing residents will also no longer need to present 48-hour valid nucleic acid test results in order to board buses or subways from Monday.
A major shopping mall in the capital reopened on the weekend after being closed for more than a week.
Other cities such as Chengdu, Guangzhou in southern China, and Jinzhou in Liaoning Province have also relaxed some restrictions, the daily added.
Last week, mass protests were held in several cities against the strict pandemic policy.
Protests erupted after the death of 10 people in a fire at a high-rise residential building in Urumqi, western Xinjiang region, which was reportedly under coronavirus lockdown.
Many claimed that the restrictions caused by tough coronavirus measures made the fire worse, which took three hours for emergency personnel to extinguish.
Authorities rejected the claims, saying there were no barricades in the building and that residents were allowed to go out.
After the incident, Xinjiang authorities lifted restrictions in some districts of Urumqi, following late-night protests against the city’s “zero-COVID-19” lockdown policy, which had been in effect for more than three months.
China, with a population of over 1.4 billion people, has confirmed 331,952 COVID-19 cases to date, with a death toll of 5,233.
Beijing residents will also no longer need to present 48-hour valid nucleic acid test results in order to board buses or subways from Monday.
A major shopping mall in the capital reopened on the weekend after being closed for more than a week.
Other cities such as Chengdu, Guangzhou in southern China, and Jinzhou in Liaoning Province have also relaxed some restrictions, the daily added.
Last week, mass protests were held in several cities against the strict pandemic policy.
Protests erupted after the death of 10 people in a fire at a high-rise residential building in Urumqi, western Xinjiang region, which was reportedly under coronavirus lockdown.
Many claimed that the restrictions caused by tough coronavirus measures made the fire worse, which took three hours for emergency personnel to extinguish.
Authorities rejected the claims, saying there were no barricades in the building and that residents were allowed to go out.
After the incident, Xinjiang authorities lifted restrictions in some districts of Urumqi, following late-night protests against the city’s “zero-COVID-19” lockdown policy, which had been in effect for more than three months.
China, with a population of over 1.4 billion people, has confirmed 331,952 COVID-19 cases to date, with a death toll of 5,233.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
