China, the last major economy to maintain a strict health policy against the pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2, announced on Friday, November 11, the relaxation of several measures in this area.
- Reduced quarantine. Chinese and foreigners arriving in China will now quarantine for eight days, compared to ten previously. As was already the case, the last three days can be done at the travelers’ Chinese home. On the other hand, the first five days of quarantine will always be carried out in specialized centers or hotels, the costs of accommodation and food remaining the responsibility of the confined persons. However, “the important actors of the economic world” and the “sports delegations” will be exempt from quarantine if they remain in a sanitary bubble during their stay.
- End of the sudden cancellation of flights. The government has also announced the shutdown of the much criticized “circuit breaker” mechanism. Under this rule, international flights to China were canceled for one or two weeks in the event of discovery, on arrival of previous flights, of a number deemed too high of infected passengers on board. Friday’s announcement comes as a relief to many travellers, who until now feared having their flights canceled at the last moment. They were forced to wait several weeks, even several months, outside of China before finding a flight.
- A single PCR test. Another good news for travelers from abroad: they will have to provide the result of a single PCR test carried out within 48 hours before boarding for China, compared to two so far.
- Preventive confinement prohibited. The government note also prohibits ” strictly “ preventive or excessively long confinements, school closures not approved by the authorities or even “ready-made solutions” applied indiscriminately. The note also calls for “accelerate” vaccinations against Covid-19 in China, especially among the elderly, who are currently very reluctant, as well as to strengthen stocks of antiviral treatments against the disease.
Impact on the economy
All these measures are announced after the holding, Thursday, of a meeting of the seven most senior leaders of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), including President Xi Jinping. They had announced the will “unwavering” of Beijing to maintain the zero Covid strategy. This obviously does not prevent adjustments.
This policy aims to do everything to avoid cases: confinement of neighborhoods or entire cities as soon as outbreaks appear, quarantines for infected people and almost daily PCR tests. But this inflexible policy has significant repercussions on the Chinese economy, global supply chains, the morale of people and businesses, the country’s image and the international mobility of Chinese and foreigners.
On Friday, the Chinese Ministry of Health announced 10,535 new local cases in the past twenty-four hours. A figure that has been rising in recent weeks, but which remains much lower than most countries.
If it hits the economy hard and weighs heavily on the morale of the Chinese, the zero Covid policy has undoubtedly made it possible to very greatly limit contamination. Only 5,200 deaths have been officially recorded in China, compared to more than 1 million in the United States. But this policy is causing growing discontent among the population. And the economic repercussions are such that most analysts now consider it impossible for China to reach its target of 5.5% growth in 2022.