Beijing: China will drop a travel tracing requirement as part of an uncertain exit from its strict “zero-covid” policies that have sparked widespread discontent. At midnight on Monday, the smart phone app will stop working, meaning residents’ travels will not be traced and recorded, potentially reducing the likelihood that they will be found visiting pandemic hot spots. To be kept in quarantine. China’s ruling Communist Party does not allow any independent party to be verified and such apps have been used in the past to stifle travel and free speech. This is part of a package of apps that includes the health code, which has not yet been disabled.
The move comes after the government’s sudden announcement last week that it was ending a series of austerity measures. A clean bill of health has been shown for three years of lockdowns, travel restrictions and quarantines, mandatory testing, and access to public areas on those moving between provinces and cities.
Last month in Beijing and several other cities, protests over the restrictions turned into calls for leader Xi Jinping and the ruling Communist Party to step down, at a level of public political expression not seen in decades. While met with relief, the exemptions have raised concerns about a new wave of infections potentially overwhelming health resources in some areas.
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Xi’s government is still officially committed to containing the transmission of the virus, the last major country to try. But the latest moves suggest the party will tolerate more cases without quarantining or closing travel or businesses as it winds up its “zero-COVID” strategy.
Faced with a surge in COVID-19 cases, China is setting up more intensive care facilities and trying to strengthen the capacity of hospitals to deal with severe cases. At the same time, the government reversed course by allowing people with mild symptoms to recuperate at home rather than being sent to field hospitals that had become notorious for overcrowding and poor sanitation.
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Reports on the Chinese Internet, which is tightly controlled by the government, sought to reassure a nervous public, saying restrictions would be lifted and travel, indoor dining and other economic activities would soon return to pre-pandemic conditions. Will come China’s leaders have long praised “zero-COVID” for keeping the number of cases and deaths very low compared to other countries, but health officials are now saying the most prevalent Omicron variety poses little risk .
Amid a sharp drop in testing volumes, China announced only about 8,500 new cases on Monday, bringing the country’s total to 365,312, more than doubling the level since October 1, with 5,235 deaths. This is compared to 1.1 million COVID-19 deaths in the United States.
The protests began after 10 people died in a fire in the northwestern city of Urumqi on 25 November. Many believed that the COVID-19 restrictions may have hindered rescue efforts. Authorities denied the claims spread online, but protesters voiced long-standing frustration in cities such as Shanghai, which have imposed severe lockdowns. The party responded with a massive show of force and an unknown number of people were arrested at the protests or in the days following.