More Chinese Cities Ease COVID-19 Restrictions After Mass Protests

Pandemic prevention workers in protective suits ride an electric vehicle in Beijing on Dec. 4, 2022. Thomas Peter/Reuters

BEIJING—More Chinese cities including Urumqi in the far west announced an easing of coronavirus curbs on Dec. 4 after unprecedented protests against restrictions last weekend.

Urumqi, the capital of the Xinjiang region and where the protests first erupted, reopened malls, markets, restaurants, and other venues on Dec. 5, ending strict months-long lockdowns.

There was no sign of any significant protest over the Dec. 3–4 weekend, although police were out in force in the Liangmaqiao area of Beijing and in Shanghai around Wulumuqi Road, which is named after Urumqi. Both sites saw protests a week ago.

A deadly fire last month in Urumqi sparked dozens of protests against COVID-19 curbs in more than 20 cities after some social media users said victims had been unable to escape the blaze because their apartment building was locked down.

The protests were a show of civil disobedience unprecedented in mainland China since Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Xi Jinping took power in 2012.

Protesters gather along a street during a rally for the victims of a deadly fire as well as a protest against China's harsh COVID-19 restrictions in Beijing on Nov. 28, 2022. Michael Zhang/AFP via Getty Images

A person holding an umbrella with a slogan on it takes part in anti-CCP protests, amid China's "zero-COVID" policy, near the Chinese consulate in New York on Nov. 29, 2022. David 'Dee' Delgado/Reuters

In the days since, numerous cities have announced the easing of lockdowns, testing requirements, and quarantine rules.

Vice Premier Sun Chunlan, who oversees COVID-19 efforts, said last week that the ability of the virus to cause disease is weakening—a change in messaging that aligns with what many health authorities around the world have said for more than a year.

Rules Lifted

Steps to ease restrictions have varied across the country.

People in Zhengzhou, the central city that’s home to the world’s largest iPhone plant, which was last month rocked by violent unrest, will no longer have to show COVID-19 test results to take public transport, taxis, or visit “public areas,” authorities said on Dec. 4.

Karaoke bars, beauty salons, internet cafes, and other indoor venues can reopen but must check for a negative 48-hour COVID-19 test result.

In Shanghai, a negative COVID-19 test is no longer required to take public transport or visit parks.

Elsewhere, both Nanning, the capital of the southern region of Guangxi, and Wuhan, the central city where the pandemic began in 2019, on Dec. 4 canceled a requirement for a negative COVID-19 test to take the subway.

Guangzhou’s Haizhu District, which experienced violent clashes last month, said on Dec. 4 that it’s advising people with no COVID-19 symptoms not to get tested for the virus unless they belong to certain special groups, such as front-line workers or those with a red or yellow code.

On Dec. 3, in Beijing, authorities said the purchase of fever, cough, and sore throat medicines no longer requires registration. The restriction had been imposed because authorities believed people were using the remedies to hide COVID-19 infections.

Authorities in various districts in the capital have in recent days announced that people who test positive for the virus can quarantine at home.

Some inconsistencies as the restrictions are eased have angered people, including a requirement in some places for a negative COVID-19 test even though mass testing centers are closing.

In Beijing and Wuhan, that caused lengthy queues at the few remaining testing booths.

“Are they stupid or just plain mean?” one social media user asked. “We shouldn’t shut down COVID testing stations until we get rid of the COVID test pass.”

New daily case numbers dropped nationwide to 31,824, authorities said on Dec. 4, which may be due in part to fewer people being tested. Authorities also reported two new COVID-19 deaths.

The actual number of COVID-19 cases may be much higher. China’s COVID-19 data is difficult to verify, since the Chinese regime routinely suppresses or alters information.

‘Preparing to Exit Zero-COVID’

Xi’s zero-COVID policy has had a devastating impact on the world’s second-largest economy and roiled global supply chains.

Despite the easing of restrictions, many experts said China was unlikely to begin significant reopening before March at the earliest.

“Although there have been quite a few local changes to COVID policies lately, we do not interpret them as China abandoning zero-COVID policy just yet,” Goldman Sachs said in a note on Dec. 4.

“Rather, we see them as clear evidence of the Chinese government preparing for an exit, and trying to minimize the economic and social cost of COVID control in the meantime. The preparations may last a few months and there are likely to be challenges along the way.”

Estimates for how many deaths China could see if it pivots to a full reopening have ranged from 1.3 million to more than 2 million.

Foreign COVID-19 vaccines aren’t approved in China, and Xi is unwilling to change that, U.S. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said on Dec. 3.