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has lifted some of its Covid restrictions in several cities, including Guangzhou and Shanghai. The country’s vice-premier has announced that China is facing a “new situation” with the virus. There have been mass protests against China’s zero-Covid policy in recent days.
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unrest was triggered by a fire in a high-rise block in the western Xinjiang region that killed 10 people last week. Many Chinese believe long-running Covid restrictions in the city contributed to the deaths, although the authorities deny this. The lifted restrictions in Guangzhou come after days of protests in the city.
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community in the capital Beijing has allowed Covid cases with mild symptoms to isolate at home. China’s vice-premier Sun Chunlan has said the virus’ ability to cause disease is weakening. Former state media editor Hu Xijin has said the moves show China is now “speeding up to cast aside large-scale lockdowns”.
