China eases Covid quarantine and lockdown restrictions

In a major development amid the ongoing protests in China, the Chinese government on Wednesday has announced a series of measures in an effort to ease the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions imposed in the country. As per the latest announcement, the Chinese government has said that people with asymptomatic or mild COVID symptoms will now be allowed to quarantine at home rather than in state facilities.

It's the strongest sign yet that China is moving away from its strict zero-Covid policy and looking to "live with the virus", as is the case elsewhere in the world. This comes as the country is seeing its biggest wave of infections - over 30,000 each day. Until now, China had forced Covid-infected people and anyone who was a close contact to go to quarantine camps. This policy had been deeply unpopular because it separated families and removed people from their homes. The new guidelines also included a strict ban on blocking fire exits and doors and said people had to be able to access emergency medical treatment and escape routes unhindered by pandemic control measures. It follows reports of people being locked into their homes and buildings being sealed under lockdown measures.