Letters | China should ease its zero-Covid policy one city at a time
- Readers discuss how China can exit its stringent Covid-19 controls, and the use of the ‘Leave Home Safe’ app in Hong Kong
However, continuation of this policy has caused significant economic damage both in China and the rest of the world, and massive disruption of people’s livelihoods. As the rest of world has relaxed Covid-19 policies without significant surges in morbidity and mortality, it seems logical for China at this time to re-evaluate its zero-Covid policy.
However, this surge of new cases is to be expected with easing of Covid-19 policies and quite insignificant as a percentage of the population of 1.412 billion (0.0025 per cent). In comparison, the most recent seven-day rolling average of new cases in Hong Kong and Singapore, both of which have vastly eased their Covid-19 policies, are around 8,000 per day (0.11 per cent) and around 1,500 per day (0.029 per cent).
Instead of a zero-Covid policy, China’s central government can implement a slower, progressive approach, by applying the optimised policy one city at a time. In addition, it could also mirror the Hong Kong experience, adopting a stepwise approach to easing Covid-prevention measurs. The expected increase in Covid-19 cases will need to be accepted as a price to pay for eventually controlling the virus. Barring any unexpected surges in new cases, the programme can be expanded, one city at a time, to the rest of the country.
Continued aggressive efforts in immunisation, early detection, reporting, appropriate quarantine and treatment modalities should be continued as part of the Covid-19 strategy.