China Trims Covid Testing, But Old Concerns Still Wobble
It’s a quiet revolution in Beijing’s suburbs: a handful of cities around the Great Wall are finally pulling the plug on their mandatory community Covid tests. The move comes just days after a top‑level “optimisation” of the country’s strict zero‑Covid rules, and it’s sparked a flurry of worry everywhere from Shijiazhuang to Yanji to Hefei.
Why the Sudden Stop Feels Like a Draft
- Shijiazhuang: The city’s officials say the routine testing will end. Parents, however, fret over their kids’s safety at school. Some even resort to creative excuses—“My child has a nasty toothache” or “Ear pain, can’t go”—just to keep the school doors closed while Covid stays in the hallway.
- Yanji & Hefei: Official notices confirm the same: community testing will be halted. For many towns, the program has been a heavy financial drag, so the relief comes with a hefty price tag.
On Friday, the National Health Commission rolled out what it calls the biggest easing yet, trimming quarantine for close contacts and inbound travellers down to an eight‑day “sober” period—two days less than before. This tweak has investors giving high‑fives, even if experts suspect a deeper loosening won’t take off until March or April.
Beijing’s Log‑Jam of Cases
Despite the new policy, Monday’s spikes in Beijing still paved the way for certain districts to keep daily tests alive. The city’s official numbers spiked again—544 new infections, with only three flagged as symptomatic. In a tongue‑in‑cheek post, one local user wrote, “I’m a little scared. Surely the public won’t start looking at nucleic acid tests soon, and those testing points will shut. What’s a regular citizen doing with all these costs?”
Officials Step In to Brush Off the Rumors
Communist Party chief Zhang Chaochao has made it clear: this “optimisation” isn’t a sign of falling into inactivity or a complete pull‑back from Covid’s grip. “Not a go‑fluke moment,” he says, and there’s no hint of a full liberation from restrictions.
Experts Weigh In
Gavekal Research tossed in a note on Monday, calling the timing “curious.” They asked whether China is slowly sliding into a new era where Covid is more tolerated than feared.
In short, the policy shift gives people a breather—hopefully—and keeps the public from drowning in endless testing. But as the city reports keep climbing, the math shows you can’t just turn off a light and expect to keep your home warm.
<img alt="" data-caption="A pandemic prevention worker in a protective suits keeps watch on people lining up to get swab tests at a testing booth as outbreaks of Covid-19 continue in Beijing, on Nov 14.
PHOTO: Reuters” data-entity-type=”file” data-entity-uuid=”e8dbb7eb-b83f-4e09-b5ad-9cec1de87c29″ src=”/sites/default/files/inline-images/20221511_china_covid_queue_reuters.jpeg”/>
Fresh records
China’s COVID‑19 Numbers Rise Again – but Some Suns Are Still in the Horizon
Nationwide Snapshot
On Sunday, the National Health Commission reported 16,072 new locally transmitted cases, a jump from 14,761 the day before. That’s the biggest spike in mainland China since April 25, when Shanghai was locked down for almost two months because COVID‑19 had taken over the whole city.
City‑by‑City Breakdown
- Beijing – a few hundred new cases, still the largest capital count but nothing to write home about.
- Chongqing, Guangzhou and Zhengzhou – turning up the heat, each adding new hundreds, sometimes thousands.
Zero‑COVID Rules – Same and New
China’s “Zero‑COVID” stance remains in force: outbreaks are cleaned up as soon as they show up. That means the whole country can still feel a lockdown‑tide whenever a spike appears. However, the government rolled back some of the heavy‑handed policies on Friday:
- Quarantines got shortened.
- Secondary close contacts no longer need to be isolated – the last major “contact‑tracing nightmare” has been smoothed out.
Experts: “A Step, Not a Leap”
Many analysts say the adjustments are incremental. “China probably won’t truly hop back into normality until after the March parliamentary session,” one commentator warned. Even so, the markets and economists are watching for signs that every new case could ripple out as short‑term economic trouble.
Goldman Sachs Speaks
On Monday, analysts from Goldman Sachs cautioned that rising cases in key cities like Guangzhou and Chongqing could create near‑term economic risks. They’re keeping an eye on how the “New Rules” smooth the way for reopening.
Bottom line: China is tightening its zero‑COVID grip while easing a few heavy ropes. It’s a pie‑cing of safety and daily life, but the drama continues – keep your eyes on the headlines, folks!
