China’s top Covid-19 official Sun Chunlan signals new phase of controls

Vice-premier in charge of Covid-19 controls tells health experts that small, progressive refinements in approach will continue

Sun also acknowledges the changing nature of the virus as the country faces ‘a new situation’

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Chinese Vice-Premier Sun Chunlan has led the country’s Covid-19 response for the past three years. Photo: Reuters

Published: 12:21pm, 1 Dec 2022Updated: 7:15pm, 1 Dec 2022

China’s top official in charge of Covid-19 controls has signalled a new chapter in the country’s pandemic response with small, progressive refinements to restrictive measures, in a sign the zero-Covid policy may be gradually phased out.

In a meeting with experts from the National Health Commission on Wednesday, Sun Chunlan – the vice-premier who has led the battle against Covid-19 for the past three years – also acknowledged that the Omicron variant is more transmissible but less deadly, according to state news agency Xinhua.

Sun said the country is “facing a new situation and new tasks as the pathogenicity of the Omicron virus diminishes, vaccination becomes more widespread and experience [grows] in prevention and controls”.

It is the first time a senior official has acknowledged the change in the nature of the virus without the usual caveat that Omicron could still lead to more deaths in China because of its large population – an argument that has previously been used to justify the country’s strong Covid-19 controls.

There was also no mention in the Xinhua report of “dynamic zero” – the general strategy to eliminate every chain of transmission through frequent testing, quarantine and lockdowns, despite their disruptions to life and the economy.

Instead, Sun was quoted as saying that the “optimisation” of Covid-19 control rules would continue. “With the people at the centre, prevention and control work must steadily progress, policies continue to be optimised in small steps but without stopping,” she said.