The announcement comes days after the World Health Organization said it was very concerned about rising reports of severe cases across China after the country largely abandoned its “zero-COVID” policy. Read more
China has joined other countries in treating cases instead of trying to stamp out virus transmission by dropping or easing rules on testing, quarantines and movement as it tries to reverse an economic slump. But the shift has flooded hospitals with feverish, wheezing patients. Read more
Currently, arriving passengers must quarantine for five days at a hotel, followed by three days at home. That is down from as much as three weeks in the past. Read more
“China has a population that is very large and there’s limited immunity. And that seems to be the setting in which we may see an explosion of a new variant,” said Dr. Stuart Campbell Ray, an infectious disease expert at Johns Hopkins University. Read more
As China grapples with its first-ever national COVID-19 wave, emergency wards in small cities and towns southwest of Beijing are overwhelmed. Read more
Experts have forecast between a million and 2 million deaths next year. Read more
Mansukh Mandaviya announced the new rule in Parliament, where he also urged state governments to increase surveillance for any new coronavirus variants and send samples of all positive cases to genome sequencing laboratories. Read more
Some scientists have warned that the unchecked spread of COVID-19 in China could spur the emergence of new variants. Read more
Health authorities reported Tuesday that five people died in the latest 24-hour period, all in Beijing, fueling concern that the toll could rise sharply after the lifting of most “zero-COVID” restrictions. Read more
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Millions worldwide believed government officials who said they needed confidential data for new tech tools that could help stop coronavirus’ spread. Read more
Chinese health authorities count only those who died directly from COVID-19, excluding people whose underlying conditions such as diabetes and heart disease were worsened by the virus. Read more
The public-health rule known as Title 42 has left some migrants biding time in Mexico. Read more
China’s official death toll remains low, with just 5,235 deaths, but public health experts caution that such statistics can’t be directly compared. Read more
Beijing looks like a city in the throes of a lockdown — this time, self-imposed by residents. Read more
A rash of COVID-19 cases in schools and businesses were reported Friday in areas across China after the ruling Communist Party loosened anti-virus rules as it tries to reverse a deepening economic slump. See gallery
The reports echo the experience of the United States, Europe and other countries that have struggled with outbreaks while trying to restore business activity. Read more
The changes are in line with the government’s promise to make restrictions less burdensome while still trying to contain the virus. Read more
Over 26 million people in Shanghai were confined for two months in one of the country’s strictest and most visible lockdowns. Read more
China rolled back rules on isolating people with COVID-19 and dropped virus test requirements for some public places today in a dramatic change to a strategy that confined millions of people to their homes and sparked protests and demands for President Xi Jinping to resign. Read more
Commuters in Beijing and at least 16 other cities were allowed to board buses and subways without a virus test in the previous 48 hours for the first time in months. Read more
The National Health Commission said one death was reported each in the provinces of Shandong and Sichuan. No information was given about the ages of the victims or whether they had been fully vaccinated. Read more
