Monitoring Desk:
BEIJING: Chinese start preparing for a normal life as authorities have lifted the conditionality for people to show negative Covid-19 tests to enter supermarkets and offices.
As the country eased curbs across the country after a series of protests and clashes, people gradually started embracing the slow return to normality.
Chinese Protests led to ease of curbs
The move comes in the backdrop of a string of protest demonstrations during last two weeks that marked the largest show of public discontent across China since President Xi Jinping took fresh oath of office last month.
The shift comes as top Chinese officials softened their stance on the severity of the coronavirus virus, and opted to live with the lethal virus.
China is likely to announce new nationwide easing measures as early as Wednesday, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters as cities across the country braced to lift localised lockdowns.
The ease in the curbs has sparked a hope among investors for the reopening of the world’s second-biggest economy that could boost global growth.
But despite assurances from the authorities concerned, commuter traffic in major cities such as Beijing and Chongqing remained at a fraction of previous levels.
Some people remained wary of catching the coronavirus virus, especially the elderly and children, many of whom still remained unvaccinated. Residents were also concerned about the strain the loosening could put on China’s fragile health system.
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China has reported 5,235 Covid-related deaths so far, but some experts have warned that the toll could rise above 1 million if the curbs were lifted in hasty.
