Dozens of districts in Shanghai and Guangzhou, in southern China, have come out of quarantine despite a record number of infections.
After an unprecedented wave of angry protests for the country, which began against health restrictions and turned into a political backlash, China began to relax its “zero tolerance” policy as a measure to protect against the coronavirus.
Dozens of districts in Shanghai and Guangzhou, cities where cases are rising, were “released from quarantine measures” today, Thursday.
Especially in the industrial metropolis of Guangzhou in southern China, where clashes between protesters and law enforcement took place on Tuesday, the lockdown that has been in place for several weeks has been extended to 11 districts in Guangzhou, including Haizhou, which has been the epicenter of the mobilizations.
With the exception of some districts considered “high risk”, according to the local Health Commission, “the others will be treated as low risk zones”.
At the same time, the country’s vice president Sun Chunlan announced that the country is facing a “new situation”.
Relaxation of inhumane lockdowns was also observed in other cities and communities, according to the BBC.
In Beijing, a municipality allowed people with mild symptoms to simply self-isolate at home — while zero-tolerance protocols earlier this year imposed strict quarantines on entire buildings and communities, sometimes as a result of just one positive case.
These decisions – even at the local level – show that China is beginning to relax its strict policy.
Also, the decisions to lift the lockdowns were taken after scientists said that “the ability of the virus to cause disease is weakening”.
However, the violent crackdown on the protests and the international coverage of the events in China have caused a global outcry against the regime. In fact, for the communist authorities, this was the most extensive wave of protests in the country since the pro-democracy demonstrations in Tiananmen Square in 1989, which had ended in a bloody crackdown when the army intervened.
Read the News today and get the latest news.
Follow Skai.gr on Google News and be the first to know all the news.
With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
