Shanghai will lift some of China’s draconian coronavirus policies from Monday, authorities announced Sunday after a wave of historic demonstrations against health restrictions and for greater political freedoms.
Residents of this financial hub in China will once again be able to use public transportation and visit certain public places such as parks and tourist attractions without having to present a negative PCR test result taken less than 48 hours ago. a message broadcast on the WeChat social network.
Shanghai is following in the footsteps of many cities, including Beijing, Tianjin, Shenzhen and Chengdu, which on Saturday lifted the requirement to present a negative test on public transport.
Chinese anger over the pandemic hardline spilled onto the streets over the weekend, in a mobilization on a scale not seen in decades.
China quickly tried to quell the movement with a heavy police presence on the streets and increased surveillance of social media.
At the same time, several cities have begun easing restrictions, notably ending mass daily testing, one of the tedious pillars of Covid zero that has been in place for almost three years.
Local authorities in Beijing also canceled the real name registration required to buy cold and fever medicine on Saturday.
President Xi Jinping defended on Thursday, along with European Council President Charles Michel, who visited Beijing, the relaxation of policies in the face of Covid, stressing that from now on, the option “Covid in China is basically Omicron, less lethal, which opens the way to more flexibility in restrictions,” a European official said on condition of anonymity.
Last month, China released a list of measures aimed at “streamlining” the coronavirus program and minimizing its socio-economic impact, but local application of these measures has varied greatly.
The northeast city of Jinzhou said on Thursday it would continue to impose containment measures because “it would be a shame not to achieve zero Covid when we can” before retreating the next day. after public outcry.
Authorities in Jinan in the east of the country said on Sunday that its residents will still be required to scan a health code and provide a recent negative result in order to access public toilets.