China will end Covid quarantine rule for incoming travelers
NBCMAR 27 2023
China's zero-COVID policy did little to quell the virus but a great deal to disrupt the normal lives of its vulnerable residents and cause irreversible damage to its economy. The PRC's hermit strategy has now seemingly been thrown out as the country moves to the other extreme, which will allow the virus to run rampant, strain the health system, and leave its population on its own. The absence of a coherent fallback strategy threatens a fresh set of nightmares for the whole world.
Three years ago, China managed the pandemic under Category A disease protocols as it was still novel and had strong pathogenicity and fatality rate. With its zero-COVID measures, the PRC could halt the spread of infection that caused millions of deaths worldwide. The shift of policy doesn't mean reduced responsibility but rather a change of focus. It's time to move forward. Beijing's current strategic easing will safeguard both health and the economy.