Beijing, Shenzhen loosen more COVID restrictions

Don't forget that China was selling their COVID tests to other countries who actually tested the tests to see how accurate they were. 35%. That's a bunch of false negatives AND false positives. China isn't were anyone should go to get COVID testing or treatment or vaccines. The proof is in the studies performed externally.

At this point, in other countries, covid cases are a minor inconvenience for most of the population and people either have no symptoms or sniffles. This means that only the most vulnerable people who cannot be vaccinated still need to be careful, but the rest of the people - can get back to productive and fun lives.

For most vaccinated people without complicated health issues, covid is a minor inconvenience at this point. It is a time to avoid others to be a good neighbor, not be locked up.

China has made their people so afraid of covid from the daily testing, standing in lines, and covid status on their phones that the phone with a red covid QR code is worse than the virus.

Since April, covid cases are up in my state, but deaths are just a few each week. The most vulnerable, not most people. My state is fairly backwards on vaccinations. A little over 50% have the first series and less than 25% have gotten a booster.

Unvaccinated people have a 3x greater chance of testing positive for covid and are 4.1x more likely to die from covid based on the state's data. People aged 55 and older are at the greatest risks. The data shows that 70% of the deaths are white people - they are dying due to their anti-vax politics, it seems. The Ex-Loser caused these deaths from his stupidity. 2+M deaths of Americans are on his hands.

Since you have never produced any global health experts that advice for a zero covid policy on 2022 this is not an argument either,

Indeed. And sources on the economic points that PK always mentions wound be appreciated, too. Many thanks in advance.

China placed value on human lives over capitalism

That argument do not work when the country failed to protect the human lives by using the best possible strategy against covid, since you have recognized countries like Sweden have a better approach that can save the lives of their people without any need of hiding deaths nor causing them with the measures this means that China placed value on control of their population above saving lives.

global health experts who advised on the zero covid policy

Since you have never produced any global health experts that advice for a zero covid policy on 2022 this is not an argument either, it is just a false appeal to an authority that explicitly contradicts your point.

And yet when people in the west protest against lockdowns,

Most of "The West" didn't have lockdowns. We never did here. The protests were against restrictions. Perhaps the worst restrictions were in Australia and NZ.

Nobody in western countries showed up at anyone's apartment or house and bolted the door closed from outside. If you had a medical issue that wasn't COVID, you could get to a doctor and get treatment, unlike in China.

California has been in a "state of emergency" since March 2020 that is planned to be lifted in early 2023. I have relatives in California. They are going to work and they are traveling. Other family have traveled to their locations from other states too. Even during this "emergency" in California, the football stadiums are packed with fans at games, 90% not wearing masks. These stadiums hold 90K+ people.

When non-Chinese countries/states ask their citizens to stay home or avoid crowds, it didn't prevent going out for groceries or medicines. There were always exceptions for "essential workers" to come and go from home to work as well.

Very different than what has been happening in China. Very different.

China places value on human lives over capitalism is a massive contradiction for a Republican American.

It says the measures are needed to save lives and avoid overwhelming its healthcare system.

China placed value on human lives over capitalism, and while agencies such as the WHO gave advice that resulted in millions of deaths, global health experts who advised on the zero covid policy turned out to be correct in their approach that this method resulted in the fewest infections and deaths in the world.

Three years ago Covid started in China to encircle the world.

Now Covid is retreating from the world and, returning to China?

How come?

What this shows is they know what they are doing.

The Chinese are like the British with a low tolerance for non sense. The UK did away with the masks and had it up to here with Covid long ago. Enough is enough

The Chinese in the same way are fed up with Covid and the lockdowns yet they have that Japanese side of respect and obedience to the government and authorities, There is respect but they also have the fear of the authorities which the Japanese don’t seem to have.

The Japanese are the most obedient but they have a kind yasashii government. Incompetent but kind and considerate.

The Chinese have the attitudes Americans have towards government but their government is strict and punishing. Competent but not kind.

A clear sign that the CCP is backing down. They're afraid of the people. 

No, trust me they are not afraid of the people. That’s the French government. Letting up on the lockdowns does not lead to that conclusion (fear of the people). That’s what someone from a democratic country would think.

Authoritarian governments fear the people as much as a parent fearing their eight year old. At least not the CCP. The people are to be controlled not feared.

In my opinion, it’s that fire and the lockdown responsible for the lost of lives in Xinjiang that led to the change.

The CCP should be held to account, and tried "en-masse" within the Hague, just as the Nazi's were.

Sure, China's CCP is now responding , but... at the same time, they're going after those who attended these protests... wait for it, and you may see.

What has not changed, is the depraved mentality of those in power, to weld doorways shut simply to prevent residents from getting out.... so when you watch the video's of a Tower block burning, with people shouting "help we can't get out", and when you see close-up's of people clinging onto ledges outside of their burning apartments... do you really think, this makes any difference ? Something is perversely wrong within the ranks of the CCP - sure corruption is one thing, but this, todate has been akin to the enjoyment that that SS had back in Nazi Germany in experimenting upon Jews.

So here's what's next;

Loosening controls further could spark a devastating outbreak, but tightening the rules again could trigger unrest.

I hope everything will be ok.

The resistance, which 2 years ago was a mere "fringe minority of quacks" is winning.

Protesting for antiscientific measures that are taken instead of the best measures according to science have absolutely nothing to do with protesting when they were actually useful and prevented much more damage than what they produced and there were no vaccines and effective treatments to replace them.

The people who just regurgitate "scientific and effective" may think are the majority but they are not.

Since you have not presented any well respected institution that support your personal opinion that still means that the consensus is against you.

There will be consequences for people who pushed the lies and forced people to do things they didn't want to do.

The ones pushing lies were the people that tried to present falsehoods about the lack of importance of covid or effect from the measures.

It's funny how when these people protest against covid lockdowns in China, they're called freedom fighters,etc by the west. And yet when people in the west protest against lockdowns, they're vilified by the same media

Its "funny" only because you completely misrepresent the situation right now pretending is the same as it was everywhere else in the world two years ago, that is like trying to say that because a patient beat cancer and have no reason now to keep chemotherapy that means the doctors that used that chemo when he had cancer were always wrong and the patient never needed it.

No PK!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's funny how when these people protest against covid lockdowns in China, they're called freedom fighters,etc by the west. And yet when people in the west protest against lockdowns, they're vilified by the same media, called all sorts of names, like science deniers. Justin Trudeau is an example of this hypocrisy - freezing bank accounts of protesters.

The CCP is being very careful to avoid discussing how the same situation that supposedly justified the strict measures is now justifying abandoning them, but at least it is now slowly, painfully, becoming more coherent with the current scientific consensus of what is best for protecting the population.

If only they had recognized that their policy would not be tolerated anymore by the population by now and choose to reinforce their vaccination campaign so the vulnerable population was adequately vaccinated and boosted by now it would have been much better.

And for the pseudo economist cum conspiracy theorists who like to comment on economic issues:

Zero-Covid: five charts that show how restrictions are throttling the Chinese economy

As well as prompting social unrest inside China, there are signs that the zero-Covid strategy is throttling the world’s second largest economy...

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/dec/01/zero-covid-five-charts-that-show-how-restrictions-are-throttling-the-chinese-economy

You are a a parallel universe, Bronco

Saw a video of a cute Russian girl in a Chinese transit location (couldn't tell if it was for trains or an airport) asking for help, then showing a red COVID QR code to the men initially wanting to help. All of them quickly moved away - the funniest was when a station guard literally RAN away after seeing the RED on her phone. She was laughing after each encounter. For the men, I could see why they'd have fear, since proximity to her for any time could make their COVID tracking app go red too.

Probably a joke with poor taste, but funny looking in from outside China where we haven't had any lockdowns and life is basically back to normal the last 9 months.

As daily cases hovered near all-time highs, some cities took steps to loosen coronavirus testing requirements and quarantine rules as China looks to make its zero-Covid policy more targeted amid an economic slowdown and public frustration that has boiled over into unrest. It's a shame that this could not have been done at the beginning of the year. Like everywhere else. No different now as it was in March.

The CCP could just be giving rope to the opposing factions. Once cases rise, and hospitals is stressed they'll use the evidence to lock up a lot of people.

That is possible and only time will tell. But for now, the party is clearly wary of the masses. Some serious egg on faces for sure.

I'm curious what the source of this news is? It is actually provable in any way? I mean, I personally don't want to go to Shenzhen to see if people can go to a shop without showing their covid status, but I wonder if the reporter of the article actually did?

I don't particularly see this as a positive reaction to the protests. The CCP could just be giving rope to the opposing factions. Once cases rise, and hospitals is stressed they'll use the evidence to lock up a lot of people. Classic Xi modus op.

Good. A clear sign that the CCP is backing down. They're afraid of the people. Remember in 1981 when Solidarity was allowed in Communist Poland? Then in early 1982 there was a crackdown. But Poland isn't Communist now. CCP, the clock may be ticking on YOU.