After the end of zero-Covid: Infected people are even allowed to work in China US authorities seized enough fentanyl “to kill all Americans” by 2022

Two weeks after the abrupt end of China’s strict zero-Covid strategy, numerous cities are even allowing those infected to return to work with no or mild symptoms. The party-affiliated newspaper “Global Times” on Wednesday mentioned, among other things, metropolises such as Chongqing and Guiyang in the southwest or Wuhu in Anhui province or the 57 million inhabitants of eastern China’s Zhejiang province. There was a “better balance between epidemic prevention and social and economic development”.

In the midst of the massive corona outbreak, the world’s most populous country suddenly lifted its strict zero-tolerance policy on December 7 after nearly three years of lockdowns, enforced quarantine, mass testing and contact tracing. The reason for the turnaround was that the infections with the new Omicron variants were no longer as serious. But the measures taken up to that point also turned out to be less and less effective.

In the 4.5 million metropolis of Guiyang, employees of supermarkets, delivery services, authorities, medical facilities and other institutions to maintain daily life were instructed to go to work with appropriate protection if they showed no or only mild symptoms of illness and their health condition allowed, as reported by the Global Times. Experts therefore stressed that cities should make “dynamic adjustments” depending on the epidemic situation.

After Chinese experts had always warned about the dangers of the coronavirus and its consequences, the seriousness of the disease has been downplayed since the change of course. However, according to several studies, China is threatened with easing several hundred thousand deaths – depending on how quickly boosters are vaccinated, medication is used for treatment, how often masks are worn, and other public and social health measures are taken. (saw/sda/dpa)