Photo/Illutration A woman wearing a mask reaches through a barricade at a locked-down community to receive a package in Shanghai on May 21. (AP file Photo)

GUANGZHOU, China--PCR tests and proof of negative results for the novel coronavirus will no longer be required in China, as the Chinese government will significantly relax its longstanding “zero-COVID” policies.

The government announced on Dec. 7 that it will scrap the testing requirements and that patients with mild symptoms are also now only required to recuperate at home.

Residents in China have been living under numerous restrictions amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, and this shift in policy will seemingly change that.

The country’s zero-COVID policies are “not necessary anymore” or “shouldn’t be executed,” six senior officers of China’s National Health Commission said at a news conference on Dec. 7.

Those living in China have expressed frustration with the zero-COVID policies in recent days with mass protests breaking out in major cities. 

One policy the officers said is no longer necessary was the PCR tests that residents in all areas in China have often been required to take.

It was already scrapped in areas such as Guangzhou in Guangdong province after protests in many areas erupted at the end of November over the strict zero-COVID policies.

It will be removed across the country, the officials said at the news conference.

They also said COVID-19 patients with zero or mild symptoms can recover at home.

It means they are now unlikely to be transferred to the prefabricated, temporary hospitals that many Chinese citizens have dreaded.

Over the past two years, China has required its people to show negative results on a smartphone app called the “health code” when they enter public places.

However, the Chinese government largely scrapped this requirement on Dec. 7.

The requirement to take a PCR test within 48 hours before crossing a province border was also scrapped, which will make domestic travel easier.

With the relaxation of the restrictions, it appears that “self-protection” will now be a pillar of the Chinese government’s COVID-19 policies.

The new COVID-19 policies published by the National Health Commission on Dec. 7 refer to the use of rapid antigen test kits.

Hong Kong has tackled the COVID-19 pandemic by asking people to use rapid antigen test kits and requiring patients to recover at home.

China’s new policy also recommends that people test with the kits at home, mirroring Hong Kong’s policy.

One of the aims of the Chinese government’s new policies is to prevent people from flooding hospitals’ outpatient departments when they have a fever, leading to a massive strain on medical services.

China’s new policy also allows COVID-19 patients to return to their normal lives if they test negative six or seven days after their infection, the same policy as in Hong Kong.

After its policy based on the idea of “self-protection” was widely accepted, the Hong Kong government lifted border controls.

The Chinese officials implied at the news conference that the country’s border controls could also be relaxed. They said they would further optimize border controls as quickly as possible while complying with the law.

Related News