China in Stunning Reversal From Zero-COVID Strategy After Protests

China on Wednesday announced a major rollback of its stringent COVID-19 measures in a move that marked the first formal step toward reopening the world's second-largest economy some three years into the pandemic.

Mass testing, health codes, centralized quarantine and snap lockdowns—all once requirements of the policy known as "dynamic zero-COVID"—were scrapped for most of China's 1.4 billion people, according to the National Health Commission's 10-point plan for "further optimization."

Under the new guidelines, those who test positive for the virus, and their close contacts, will be allowed to isolate at home if displaying mild or no symptoms. Restrictions on the sale of therapeutics such as fever medicine were lifted, and negative test results will only be required for specified venues including nursing homes, hospitals, kindergartens, and schools.

The new rules won't apply to frontline workers and residents in designated "high-risk areas," locations with significant outbreaks. "Others who wish to be tested should be tested," the notice said.

Among the most significant reversals relates to citywide lockdowns, long considered the most draconian element of China's response to COVID clusters. The updated measures shrink the permitted closure zones from entire districts and neighborhoods down to individual buildings, floors, and residents.

Snap lockdowns are prohibited, and closures must end after five days if no new infections emerge, the announcement said. Physical classes must return at schools with no positive cases.

The central directive comes less than two weeks after rare political protests erupted in a number of Chinese cities in late November. The public's frustrations boiled over indefinite COVID controls including the frequent closures of neighborhoods and businesses, as well as the heavy censorship of policy criticism.

Before the demonstrations, China was the only major economy still maintaining a zero-tolerance approach to the virus, which the Communist Party's propaganda organs had tied closely to Xi Jinping's political achievements and legitimacy. China's leader argued the strategy struck the best balance between public health and the economy, but the recent unrest appeared to have finally moved the needle in Beijing.

The national health authority responded to some of the demonstrators' demands without explicitly framing the new measures as a reaction. Its notice outlawed the suspension of industries, adding public services such as hospitals, police, public transport, logistics, supermarkets, and utility companies to a "whitelist."

The announcement prohibited the blocking of fire escapes as well as entrances to blocks and neighborhoods, excessive protocols that may have contributed to the deaths of 10 people in an apartment fire in Urumqi, Xinjiang—the incident that triggered November's protests.

At the NHC's weekly briefing in Beijing on Wednesday, senior health officials indicated China would now turn to COVID mitigation rather than containment. In particular, they said the government would target the country's elderly for vaccination by reducing the interval between second and third shots.

Official statistics showed 32 million of China's 264 million over-60s and 8 million of its 36 million over-80s weren't immunized at all, while only 40 percent of over-80s had received a booster.

Liang Wannian, one of China's leading epidemiologists, told reporters during Wednesday's briefing that the country was nearing a return to pre-pandemic life.

It remains to be seen how localities across China implement the new 10-point plan, which follows a 20-point refinement published in November. Like last time, Beijing has delegated the task of balancing COVID, the economy, and public sentiment to local governments, which stand first in line to take the blame for any unfavorable outcomes in the three areas.

Public health experts have predicted a surge in infections as China slowly reopens. The country's severe cases and deaths remain among the lowest in the world, but some project its daily cases could peak at over 10 million.

Beijing faces an uncertain road ahead, but the policy reversal could help kick-start its sputtering economy, which grew at an unusually slow 3 percent in the first three quarters of this year, falling below China's 2022 target of 5.5 percent GDP growth.

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