China says it will relax its harsh anti-COVID-19 regulations

China has taken a number of actions that sharply reverse some of the strictest anti-COVID-19 regulations. The extent of the lockdown will only apply to certain apartment floors and buildings, as opposed to neighbourhoods and entire districts, according to the notification made on Wednesday.

Schools, where there have been no outbreaks, must resume in-class instruction, and anyone who tests positive for the virus will be able to isolate at home rather than in crowded, filthy field hospitals.

The announcement comes in the wake of recent major demonstrations in a number of cities against the stringent “zero-COVID” policy, which is already in its fourth year and has been accused of upsetting daily life, interfering with travel and employment, and severely harming the country’s economy.