The coronavirus is weakening and management protocols could be downgraded, an expert on China’s state media has claimed, as unprecedented protests last week marked a major shift in Beijing’s commitment to a zero-covid policy.
Since January 2020, China has classified Covid-19 as a Category B infectious disease but manages it under the Category A protocol, which gives local authorities the power to quarantine patients and their close contacts and lock down affected areas.
Category A diseases in China include bubonic plague and cholera, while SARS, AIDS and anthrax fall under category B. Category C diseases include influenza, leprosy, and mumps. Infectious diseases that spread easily and have high mortality are classified as Class A or Class B but are managed as Class A.
But an unnamed infectious disease expert told Chinese media outlet Yicai that more than 95% of cases in China are now asymptomatic and mild, and the death rate is very low. Under such circumstances, adhering to Class A management is not consistent with science, Yicai reported on Sunday.
Covid-19 can be downgraded to category B management or category C, the expert was quoted as saying.
Any adjustments to the management of infectious diseases by the National Health Commission, China’s top health authority, require the approval of the State Council or Cabinet.
Vice-Premier Sun Chunlan said last week that China was facing a “new situation” as the Omicron virus weakened, becoming the first high-ranking government official to publicly admit that the new coronavirus’s ability to cause damage has decreased. The government and its media are now emphasizing the reduced severity, and promoting personal mitigation measures and vaccination.
It marked an abrupt political shift to the country’s zero-Covid policy, which Xi Jinping had — until protests — considered China’s only way out of the pandemic. The policy saw China’s 1.4 billion people largely protected from the virus during most of the pandemic, but has been significantly challenged by the emergence of several transmissible variants. Local authorities, who faced punishment for failing to control local outbreaks, were turning to increasingly enthusiastic responses, sometimes in a handful of cases.
“Local party leaders knew the lockdown was Xi Jinping’s top priority, so to show legitimacy and competence, many took extreme measures to appeal to Xi,” said Prof Chi Chunhui, director of Oregon State University’s Center for Global Health.
But the outpouring of public outrage appears to have prompted officials to lift some of the more stringent restrictions, saying the zero-covid strategy, which aims to isolate every infected person, is still in place. Some fear millions could die if restrictions are lifted entirely.
During the pandemic, Covid restrictions have been managed by different levels of government, resulting in inconsistent and often confusing regulations. The loosening of restrictions seems to be happening in the same way.
Beijing, Shanghai, Zhengzhou and Shenzhen are among the cities to end the requirement of a negative test result to board public transport. Beijing authorities have also ordered hospitals to stop denying admission to people with negative results, but the requirement is still in place in other cities such as Chengdu and Guangzhou.
Chongqing still requires a negative test within the past three days to enter public places, while Zhejiang province has completely ended routine Covid tests, according to state media.
The number of cases reported each day has also fallen in some areas, as testing has slowed.
“The information will be a bit chaotic at this stage,” said Hu Zijin, a former editor of the state-backed tabloid Global Times and now a social commentator, on Weibo.
Analysts say a zero-covid exit will pose a major political challenge for Xi. There have been reports of confusion and complaints, as the rollback of some zero-Covid infrastructure still in place, such as a shortage of testing stations leading to long lines for those needing tests to travel or participate in specific activities.
“What does it mean to close the testing booths before giving up the requirement to show the test results in full?” A Weibo user said.
China is the last major country to try to completely stop transmission through quarantines, lockdowns, and mass testing. Concerns over-vaccination rates are believed to be central to the ruling Communist Party’s determination to stick to its hardline strategy.
Nine out of 10 Chinese have been vaccinated, while only 66 percent of those over 80 have received a shot and only 40 percent have received a booster, the commission said. It said 86 percent of people over 60 had been vaccinated.