China reports 2 Covid deaths as restrictions ease in some cities: Top updates

Covid In China: Beijing and some other Chinese cities have announced that riders can board buses and subways without a Covid test.

China on Sunday reported two more deaths from Covid-19 as some cities eased restrictions amid increasingly vocal public frustration over the measures. The National Health Commission said one death was reported each in the provinces of Shandong and Sichuan. China is the last major country trying to stop transmission completely through quarantines, lockdowns and mass testing.

Covid In China: A health worker in protective suit checks the address of a resident to administer a Covid test.(Reuters)

Here are top updates on Covid in China:

1. An outpouring of public anger appears to have prompted authorities to lift some of restrictions, even as they say the “zero-Covid” strategy is still in place.
2. Beijing and some other Chinese cities have announced that riders can board buses and subways without a Covid test for the first time in months.
3. The slight relaxation of testing requirements comes after protests across the country as residents grew frustrated by the rigid enforcement of restrictions that are now entering their fourth year, even as the rest of the world has opened up.
4. The technological manufacturing center of Shenzhen said that commuters no longer need to show a negative COVID-19 test result to use public transport or while entering pharmacies, parks and tourist attractions.
5. Beijing said that negative test results are also no longer required for public transport.
6. On Sunday, China recorded 35,775 cases, 31,607 of which were asymptomatic, bringing its total to 336,165 with 5,235 deaths.
7. The recent protests, the largest and most widely spread in decades, erupted on November 25 after a fire in an apartment building in the northwestern city of Urumqi killed at least 10 people.
8. The country saw several days of protests across cities including Shanghai and Beijing, with protesters demanding an easing of Covid curbs.