Beijing-China announced the relaxation of some of its hardline Covid-19 restrictions on Friday, a day after authorities had vowed to stick to a zero-tolerance virus approach despite mounting economic damage. The country is the last major economy welded to a strategy of stamping out Covid flare-ups as they occur, through a combination of snap lockdowns, mass testing and lengthy quarantines.
Top leaders had pledged to stick “unswervingly” to the policy, which has forced business closures, roiled international supply chains and weighed heavily on growth. But a notice from the country’s disease control agency on Friday said the Politburo Standing Committee -- the seven-man apex of power in China -- met Thursday to rubberstamp limited relaxations. According to the notice, the quarantine period for inbound travellers will be cut from 10 days to eight, consisting of five days in a state isolation centre and three days at home. It said that travellers would only be required to show one negative Covid test within 48 hours of boarding flights to China, a reduction from two tests.