China rolled back strict "zero-COVID" restrictions following mass protests and calls for President Xi's resignation.
RELATED: Protesters in China take to the streets over COVID lockdown policy
China's health authorities announced sweeping changes to the country's "zero COVID" policies on Wednesday, about a week after rare nationwide protests against draconian pandemic controls that separated families, forced people to quarantine outside their homes and appeared to be having mounting social and economic costs. The National Health Commission published a 10-point memo detailing a series of measures rolling back some of the anti-COVID-19 restrictions.
Among the highlights: harsh lockdowns will be limited to targeted areas, such as a particular building or floor, as opposed to whole neighborhoods and districts; people who test positive for the virus can isolate at home rather than in overcrowded field hospitals; and schools can stay open if there is an infection, provided there isn't a wider outbreak.
Many testing requirements have also been scrapped. "Relevant departments in all localities must further … and resolutely correct the 'one size fits all' simplified approach," the commission said in a statement posted on its website.
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