Zero-Covid’s end brings a difficult transition to living with the virus
- The policy gave mainland China time to prepare for an end of restrictions. We are about to find out how prepared it is
China’s zero-Covid policy, with its intensive testing, tracing, travel curbs and lockdowns, has cast a dark shadow over Hong Kong during the pandemic.
Faith in the strategy was required, as if it were a religion. Zero-Covid, it seemed, would be pursued indefinitely, and at whatever cost. It was hailed as evidence of China’s superior approach. The rest of the world, having lifted restrictions, was condemned for “lying flat”.
After all that, it is difficult to grasp that zero-Covid has been abandoned. The move is long overdue. It has been greeted with relief in Hong Kong. One mainland commentator on social media spoke for many when he said: “It’s finally over.”
Now, Beijing faces “a new situation and new tasks”. Last week, a 10-point plan dramatically rolled back measures underpinning the “dynamic zero-Covid” approach. Most people who test positive can now isolate at home, instead of in centres. Mandatory testing has been greatly reduced and access to public places increased.
There has been no official declaration the zero-Covid policy has been dropped. But it has disappeared from official pronouncements. Covid-19 is, at last, being accurately presented as a disease which now causes mild or no symptoms in most cases.
These moves follow protests among mainland residents frustrated by three years of strict measures and growing concerns about the impact of the strategy on China’s economy.
How China hopes to chart path to soft landing as Covid restrictions ease
The mainland now faces a difficult transition to living with the virus. Its zero-Covid policy has kept cases at a much lower level than other parts of the world. This has bought it time to better prepare for the inevitable outbreaks that will follow a lifting of restrictions.
Amid concerns about a relatively low vaccination rate among the elderly, fears of medical facilities being swamped and alarming predictions of high death rates, we are about to find out how prepared it is.
Hong Kong has been spared the worst excesses of the zero-Covid policy. There has been no citywide lockdown and the government is charting its own path, gradually relaxing rules. Local officials have struck a cautious note in the wake of China’s move away from zero-Covid. Many restrictions remain. But the change of direction has already prompted an easing of isolation and testing rules at the city’s public hospitals and there are hopes the border with the mainland will be opened up by Lunar New Year.
Zero-Covid has had a significant impact on Hong Kong’s approach. Mainland-style mandatory mass testing for the whole city was scheduled for March this year, as the number of cases increased. Residents would have been required to take three tests within 15 to 21 days. Vast new isolation facilities were built. The impending measures scared many into fleeing Hong Kong.
This proved to be the high point for the zero-Covid policy in the city. As the easily transmissible Omicron variant spread wildly, overwhelming hospitals and causing thousands of deaths, the strategy was rendered futile. It simply did not work.
Thankfully, the crisis prompted a shift in the approach with the priority switching to getting the elderly vaccinated and reserving hospital beds for those who are seriously ill. Officials accepted Hong Kong people were tired of strict Covid measures taking such a toll on their daily lives. We have all, to different degrees, been deeply affected by them. But the city still has a long way to go.
Reality has now dawned in mainland China, too. It can learn from Hong Kong’s experience. Hopefully, the tragedy which beset the city will be avoided.
China’s move away from zero-Covid should give Hong Kong more freedom to open up and make the long-awaited transition to normal life. For too long, the city’s officials have had to strike a delicate balance between lifting restrictions and still being seen to align with the mainland’s tough approach.
The ending of zero-Covid, dynamic or otherwise, is a welcome step. May it lead to happier times for residents of mainland China and a lifting of all restrictions in Hong Kong.
