China has so far implemented strict regulations to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus. However, as protests by young people spread across the country, the government suddenly announced a “Notice Concerning Further Improvement of New Coronavirus Infection Prevention and Control Measures” (New Article 10). PCR testing sites disappeared overnight and the behavioral restrictions of smartphone apps disappeared. Instead of deregulation, the government suddenly disappeared, causing uproar and confusion among the people and rapid infection by the Omicron strain. There is also a strange situation that supermarkets in Beijing sell canned peaches. (Freelance writer Furumai Yoshiko)
Overnight, the Chinese government
The new corona countermeasures policy has changed dramatically
On December 7, just over a week has passed since the Joint Epidemic Prevention Headquarters, which is under the direct control of China’s State Council (the equivalent of the Cabinet), announced the “New Ten Articles”, which provide for the nationwide easing of measures against the new coronavirus. In the last two and a half years, PCR tests, which used to be mandatory every one or two days, and the obligation to present a health code wherever you go have been abolished one after the other.
Almost simultaneously, rumors of “yoryo” (positive) began to arise one after another from all over the country. According to the Hong Kong newspaper “South China Morning Post”, there are many people self-reporting to be “affected” in Baoding city, Hebei province, where the local government has reported zero infected people overnight. Each of them also confirmed that there are others infected in their lives, and apparently the data released by the government is no longer consistent with the current situation. Residents are still concerned about closed shops and home deliveries that have not been made for a long time and are spending as much time as possible without leaving their homes.
