The world’s most populous country has been following years of hardline coronavirus policy
Beijing:
People with Covid-19 symptoms in one of China’s biggest cities can now go to work “normally”, state media reported on Monday, a dramatic reversal in a country where a single case previously put thousands in lockdown. could have sent
The world’s most populous country is ending years of hardline coronavirus policy, with Covid spreading rapidly in the wake of mass lockdowns, testing and the official end of quarantine.
As authorities admit it is “impossible” to track the outbreak, the southern megacity of Chongqing – home to some 32 million people – has become one of the first parts of China to allow people to return to work normally, reports the Chongqing Daily. is allowed to do. Citing a notice from the municipal authorities on Monday.
The notice issued on Sunday said “mild-symptom” government, party and state workers “can work normally after taking personal protection according to their physical conditions and the needs of their jobs”.
It urged residents not to take virus tests “unnecessarily” or require people to show a negative result, with the exceptions of some facilities such as care homes, schools and prisons.
Local governments across China have generally encouraged people to remain isolated at home while recovering from the disease – a dramatic change from the previous policy of herding people into state quarantine facilities.
On Sunday, eastern Zhejiang province – a major economic hub for more than 60 million people – said people with mild symptoms “may continue to work, if necessary, on the condition of taking personal protection”.
Some hospitals and cremation grounds are grappling with rising cases and deaths, with officials sticking to their guns despite evidence of fears of a wave of infections in undeveloped rural areas during upcoming public holidays.
Visits to hospitals and clinics increased in the days after China lifted restrictions, although the World Health Organization said the virus was already spreading widely in the country because “control measures by themselves were not stopping the disease”. .
Cities and provinces across China have been forced to adjust their public health proposals as the country learns to live together with the virus for the first time.
In the eastern city of Suzhou, authorities have turned testing sites into temporary stations for fever treatment, according to state media.
State media reported that other cities, including the capital Beijing, have handed out free medical kits to some residents and urged patients to choose online consultations instead of going to hospitals.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and was auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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