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Since protests against measures to eliminate the new crown broke out in several cities in China last week, Guangzhou, Beijing and Chongqing have loosened control, respectively. Chinese leader Xi Jinping also said in a meeting with EU officials that Omicron is less lethal and paves the way for more flexible epidemic prevention and control.
According to the latest data from the National Health and Medical Commission of China, on Friday (December 2) there were more than 33,000 new confirmed cases of new crowns in China, of which asymptomatic infections, which exceeded 29,000.
Xi Jinping replied
European Union officials said Chinese leader Xi Jinping blamed mass protests in Chinese cities on youth frustration with years of the new crown epidemic, but said the current variant of Omicron paved the way for fewer restrictions.
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Cities in China have begun using rapid antigen tests to replace nucleic acid tests, but the results of antigen tests are not yet widely recognized officially.
According to Reuters, a senior EU official, speaking on condition of anonymity, outlined the main points of European Council President Charles Michel’s visit to Beijing. Michel met Xi on Thursday along with other senior officials of the European Union.
A senior EU official said: “The response we got from the president (Xi Jinping) was to explain why there are protests. Because after 3 years of coronavirus, people are frustrated, especially students or teenagers.”
“Chief Xi said the Chinese new crown virus is mainly Omicron. The previous variant of Delta was more deadly, and Omicron was less deadly. The region is seeing it.”
The EU official said Michel told Xi that in Europe the focus in the initial phase of the pandemic was mainly on isolation, quarantine and testing, but then shifted to vaccination.
Another senior EU official said: “I feel this is useful information. My sense is that China will seek to encourage its citizens to get vaccinated, taking a little bit of the European experience.”
People in Shanghai shouted “Xi Jinping step down” in the streets, and anti-blockade protests took place in many places in China.
In addition, high-ranking Chinese government officials recently held a seminar on epidemic prevention and control for two consecutive days. Chinese Vice Premier Sun Chunlan said at both seminars that the pathogenicity of the Omicron virus has weakened and that prevention and control measures will be improved. Unlike most of the previous meetings, Sun Chunlan did not mention adhering to the “exclusion” policy both times.
How will the local government act after leaving the high-ranking officials
The statements of Xi Jinping and Sun Chunlan seem to send a signal that China’s top authorities have relaxed their zero-sum control measures. In recent days, Guangzhou, Beijing, Shenzhen, Chengdu and other places have successively eased epidemic prevention and control measures.
On November 30, Guangzhou announced further improvement of prevention and control measures, which require scientific and accurate identification of high-risk areas, timely unblocking of those who meet the conditions for unblocking, rapid closure and unblocking of containment and control management, which should be released as far as possible; Examination of close contacts should be expanded, and nucleic acid testing should not be expanded.
Beijing has successively announced that from December 5th, buses and subways will not refuse passengers without a 48-hour negative nucleic acid certificate; When medical and health institutions at all levels and types of Beijing check their own health codes, they will not be allowed to do so. Refuse admission of patients who do not have a negative DNA result for 48 hours. ; From November 30, people without social activities such as long-term home elderly, home office and study staff, infants and young children may not participate in community DNA screening if they do not have a need to go out.
Chengdu announced that from December 2, citizens can enter public places and use public transportation by presenting their green health codes, taking temperature measurements, scanning location codes, and will not be required to check nucleic acid test certificates; To show a DNA certificate negative, simply show your health code.
However, when the measures are gradually eased in various places, Jinzhou City, Liaoning Province said on December 1 that the efforts of the past 10 days should not be abandoned under the circumstances that “dynamic clearing” can be achieved in a short period. of time. “It is a pity that it can be purified but not purified!”
The ad drew a lot of criticism. Just one day later, Jinzhou announced that from 6:00 on December 2, the city’s main urban area (except for the local high-risk areas announced by various districts) will resume production and living system.
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US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said, “I think we’ve seen the protests disappear in China, and the reason they’re gone is because they really worked.”
According to Chinese media outlet Yicai Global, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Tianjin, Beijing and Chongqing have issued new travel policies, respectively. Depending on the population of these cities, the travel of more than 100 million people will become more convenient due to the new policy.
“I think we’ve seen protests disappear in China, and the reason they’ve disappeared is because they really worked,” Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said at an American University in Washington event.
“They let people quarantine at home, not in fever clinics. They said they would open up gradually,” Sherman said of Beijing’s response.
“The protests are really important,” she said, also noting that China has used security forces to parallel the demonstrations and imprison demonstrators.
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