China set to ease Covid curbs further
China is set to announce a further easing of some of the world's toughest Covid curbs as early as Wednesday, sources said, as investors cheered the prospect of a policy shift that follows widespread protests and mounting economic damage.
Three years into the pandemic, China's zero-tolerance measures, from shut borders to frequent lockdowns, contrast sharply with the rest of the world, which has largely decided to live with the virus.
The strict approach has battered the world's second-largest economy, put mental strain on hundreds of millions and last month prompted the biggest show of public discontent in mainland China since President Xi Jinping took power in 2012.
The financial hub of Shanghai announced last night that it would remove Covid testing requirements for people to enter most public places from today.
And a new set of nationwide rules is due to be announced soon, two sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters, paving the way for more coordinated easing.
Beijing is also weighing whether to scale down its management of the virus to reflect the less serious threat it poses as early as January.
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