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China set to loosen COVID curbs after week of historic protests

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By Julie Zhu and Martin Quin Pollard

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China is set to announce an easing of its COVID-19 quarantine protocols in the coming days and a reduction in mass testing, sources told Reuters, a marked shift in policy after anger over the world's toughest curbs fueled widespread protests.

Well done China; you sustained zero covid and prevented millions of deaths, and managed to keep your economy afloat unlike any country in the Western world.

"After nearly three years fighting against the epidemic, our country's medical and healthcare system has withstood the test," she said in remarks published by the official Xinhua news agency.

Absolutely.

Too bad other countries did not have the fortitude to protect their citizens to the fullest.

-21 ( +1 / -22 )

Way to go China. A bit late to the party, but never too late to admit you were wrong! Way to go!

6 ( +9 / -3 )

Apparently the CCP underestimated how much unnecessary suffering the population was going to accept. This is exactly why international public health authorities like the WHO disqualified the policy as unsustainable. Now China is catching up with the rest of the world moved on and replaced the highly inefficient focus on preventing infections with the much more scientifically supported focus on reducing the risk that come from those infections.

Unfortunately the CCP is abandoning the zero covid policy without first protecting properly the vulnerable population as other countries did, which means a lot of preventable deaths are likely to happen (but not reported, as the CCP is doing even now).

10 ( +12 / -2 )

Too bad other countries did not have the fortitude to protect their citizens to the fullest.

That includes China, that choose to sacrifice unnecessarily their citizens by using outdated lockdowns that cause more damage than what they prevent (even according to you) instead of following the example of countries that had a successful control of the pandemic without needing to casue local ruin, deaths and degradation of human rights.

8 ( +10 / -2 )

Cases nationwide remain near record highs

Why stop lockdowns now??!!??

While the change in tone on COVID appears a response to the public discontent with strict measures,

Chinese public have chosen freedom.

authorities are also seeking out for questioning those present at the demonstrations.

They are scared that Jiang Zemin's death is cloaking Xi dissent in nostalgia for a different China.

Bit of a Red Pickle they are in as I predicted

6 ( +7 / -1 )

Apparently the CCP underestimated how much unnecessary suffering the population was going to accept. 

No, they estimated how many lives they would save with their policy versus a WHO agency recommended approach that resulted in millions of deaths.

Now that China was successful, people who were saying China could not sustain their policy are now diverting their illogical criticism and saying China is not prepared to abort their strategy.

And unlike China, not one country had a successful strategy unless you consider going into a recession (hello US, UK, New Zealand, Australia, etc...) and have a zooming high infection and covid death rate (hello previously mentioned countries, and if you want to throw in Antarctica, feel free).

China won.

And no one takes the WHO seriously anyway:

WHO stands by recommendation to not wear masks if you are not sick or not caring for someone who is sick

https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/30/world/coronavirus-who-masks-recommendation-trnd/index.html

-14 ( +0 / -14 )

managed to keep your economy afloat unlike any country in the Western world.

LOL. I can hear your arguments float down the drain. You PK have lost any credibility. People read your comments to click the negatives!

Keep it up.

7 ( +8 / -1 )

China won.

Lol. Winners don't step down. Best post today! Hello, loser! Lol.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

The measures due to be unveiled include a reduction in the use of mass testing and regular nucleic acid tests as well as moves to allow positive cases and close contacts to isolate at home under certain conditions, the sources familiar with the matter said.

Now that China's strategy accomplished its government's goals of protecting its citizen's health, it can focus on its economy. Unfortunate that protesters put themselves in the way of danger, when the policies they were protesting were changing anyway:

*China’s top leaders will likely signal a more pragmatic approach toward Covid controls at a key upcoming meeting while putting more focus on boosting economic growth, economists say.*

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/china-leaders-may-signal-policy-024837895.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall

-11 ( +0 / -11 )

it can focus on its economy.

Thought the economy was hunky-dory!!! But it's not!!!

I'd focus on getting Pfizer vaccines to everyone fast, as well.

A serious shambles.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

How many millions of Chinese have died from Covid and prison like lock-ins?

10 ( +10 / -0 )

Jeans and T-shirtToday  04:49 pm JST

About time. The people of China have seen the rest of the world getting on with their lives

The people of China saw millions die in the rest of the world. Millions who could not get on with their lives.

36,000 new cases yesterday.

So, proportionally about 3000 new cases in Japan--is that a lot?

And given that China's figures are a gross undercount the real number is actually much higher.

How come you emphatically mentioned 36,000 new cases if that is a gross undercount? And why would you think you know it is a gross undercount? Because an organization that promoted a different strategy that resulted in millions of deaths says so?

Your home country went into a recession, saw skyrocketing infection and covid related death rates---and that is considered acceptable? Okkkk . . . . .

-8 ( +0 / -8 )

No, they estimated how many lives they would save with their policy versus a WHO agency recommended approach that resulted in millions of deaths

Completely false, as you have commented already other countries did better without millions of deaths but also without causing more problems (and deaths) with the lockdowns. Why else would you say it was excellent how Sweden could control the pandemic without the lockdowns?

Now that China was successful, people who were saying China could not sustain their policy are now diverting their illogical criticism and saying China is not prepared to abort their strategy.

China has not been successful, it is abandoning its policy even when the situation is the same as it has been for the last year, something they said justified keeping it.

China won.

And no one takes the WHO seriously anyway:

The population of China won against the CCP. The WHO is still the global authority on public health matters and the experts of the world take it much more seriously than what China does for the pandemic. This is why no international expert have recommended the zero covid policy.

Now that China's strategy accomplished its government's goals of protecting its citizen's health, it can focus on its economy.

Other countries have had success without needing to hide over 90% of the deaths nor cause ruin and deterioration of the human rights, which mean the goal is perfectly obtainable without measures you have agreed as unnecessary. They are abandoning them long after other countries have demonstrated they are not necessary. China is finally following the example of successful countries.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

One week lockdown is enough. Good plan. But in the UK, two years has scarred the psychological well-being many citizens.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Why not release the vaccination status of the infected and hospitalized?

Why is that a state secret that Chinese authorities refuse to divulge?

Because the Chinese vaccinations aren't as effective at those made elsewhere, based on scientific trials, not CCP propaganda.

As for secrets - there are too many lies throughout the CCP-Chinese govt. It is so bad that nearly every statistic from the economy, to investments, to covid's origination, to medical deaths, to the daily testing, to how much censorship is performed daily on the Chinese internet, to how many "re-education camps", to why the former leader was escorted out of the CCP-Congress a few weeks ago, to how much doping is performed by athletes, to how many political prisoners are disappeared weekly ....

all these things would embarrass the current Chinese govt. Heck, when it was really hot this summer, they even lied about the temperatures for political reasons. Seems that when it gets too hot, there are laws that force businesses and schools to close. Rather than do that, the govt just decided to mandate that the temperature was below the threshold. Crazy. It isn't like everyone else doesn't have a thermometer showing it was 3 °C hotter. But that's the way the CCP works. Everyone one knows it. It is sorta a joke.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Virus,no amount of money, should put others lives in jeopardy,in America lots of people that did not adequate COVID policies,find themselves legal liable for their death of others, American have a different standard on value of life,the group do not determine their value ,they do

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The people have spoken and Xi knew it is more than people behind the movement to get him out. This is not the end of the protest there's more to come!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

This is not the end of the protest there's more to come!

The CCP has to be worried that public commemoration ceremonies for recently deceased Jiang Zemin will become flashpoints for further demonstrations, especially but those who call themselves "Toad Worshippers" While Jiang was an authoritarian thug, his administration today is remembered fondly for the economic boom he presided over, and that he could be funny in public.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

https://www.almostmag.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/china-protest-covid-lockdown-urumqi-road-sign-meme.jpg

0 ( +0 / -0 )

China set to loosen COVID curbs after week of historic protests:

Not all in China would agree with Xi's extreme measures to contain Covid.

Anyway, Guangzhou has started to relax the harsh restrictions.

More careful scrutiny over the pros & cons of economic impact is underway..

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Thank your lucky stars you weren’t born in China.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

The sense of official momentum towards a landmark shift built on Thursday as Vice Premier Sun Chunlan, who oversees COVID efforts, told a meeting of frontline experts that the Omicron variant was weakening in its ability to cause disease, allowing China to improve prevention efforts.

Their strategy only resulted in about 5,000 Covid related deaths, while the US had over 1 million.

China has not been successful, it is abandoning its policy even when the situation is the same as it has been for the last year, something they said justified keeping it.

It has been successful compared to the US in limiting deaths, and successful when compared to the UK, Australia, and New Zealand, which went into recessions while China showed positive economic growth throughout the pandemic.

Other countries have had success without needing to hide over 90% of the deaths nor cause ruin and deterioration of the human rights,

No other country comes close to China's success, and the hiding deaths conspiracy theory is an example of anti-science. And human rights were preserved with the saving of millions of lives.

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

Millions continue to die and suffer from prison like lock-ins and from other diseases which they can’t get to a hospital for their treatments, like cancers. Can’t find any Chinese DATA on monthly deaths. They hide the DATA.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

It has been successful compared to the US in limiting deaths

When you have to compare something with the worst possible example available you recognize it has failed when compared with the best example. Another argument is that you have recognized other countries have better policies, like Sweden. If China is using something that you have agreed is worse than what is being used in another country that means you also agree it could have been doing better.

China showed positive economic growth throughout the pandemic.

You have repeatedly failed to provide any argument to support the claim that covid is the only factor affecting the economy of a country.

No other country comes close to China's success

That is something you have no information to conclude, China is systematically underreporting not only the deaths produced by covid, but also the deaths produced by the policy is now abandoning, more than a dozen other countries would have better death rates if they included only patients with no other comorbidities as China does, that would completely contradict your claim.

This is also easy proved as how you have not addressed most of the arguments on the other comments, meaning you recognize them as valid and grounds to criticize the zero covil policy as failed.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

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