China will soon make significant changes to its “Dynamic Zero COVID-19” strategy to combat the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, a former top Chinese health official said Friday at a conference organized by the bank.
Zeng Guang, former chief epidemiologist at the Chinese Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the conditions for considering China’s reopening are “accumulated”, citing new vaccines or even advances in Chinese research into antiviral treatments.
Asked about the possibility of China reopening after the end of the annual plenary session of China’s parliament – which usually takes place in Beijing for ten days in March – Zeng Guang explained that a series of new measures would come into effect in the next five to six months, without to provide more details.
This expert has already made comments in the past that put into perspective the achievements of the “zero COVID” strategy adopted by the Beijing authorities, which consists of containing any even the smallest source of contamination through drastic tracing measures and of isolation.
Economic and social impact
Aside from their impact on Chinese economic activity, the repeated restrictions imposed by this approach are causing growing popular discontent.
Chinese financial markets were buoyed this week by hopes that China will ease its approach amid rumors of an easing of restrictions in March 2023 – fueled by an unconfirmed document widely shared on social media.
However, China’s National Health Commission on Wednesday estimated that China should continue to scrupulously adhere to the “zero-COVID” strategy.