China’s top Covid official denies authorities are easing controls and calls for swift response to new outbreaks

Vice-Premier Sun Chunlan says recent changes, including shorter quarantine for arrivals from abroad, are ‘not about relaxing rules but precision’

Sun warned officials they must act quickly to stop outbreaks spreading in the run-up to the main political event of the year

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Chinese Vice-Premier Sun Chunlan visiting Hebei this week. Photo: Handout

Published: 9:00am, 21 Jul 2022Updated: 5:01pm, 21 Jul 2022

The Chinese official leading the country’s Covid-19 response has said the authorities are not relaxing controls and urged cities to take decisive measures to contain outbreaks quickly.

Some moves by Beijing in recent weeks – including shorter quarantine requirements for inbound travellers and allowing more international flights – have raised hopes that the country will move away from its zero-Covid approach.

But Vice-Premier Sun Chunlan said: “The latest Covid-19 control playbook is not about relaxing rules, but about precision, which requires greater efforts to grasp prevention and close loopholes.”

Speaking on a visit to Hebei province earlier this week, she warned officials they need to act swiftly to stop outbreaks spreading in the run-up to the Communist Party congress, the country’s main political event of the year.

The province, which surrounds Beijing and has been described as “the moat of the capital”, faced criticism – and even protests – from some residents last month when it imposed strict Covid-19 controls measures in four major cities: Baoding, Handan, Shijiazhuang and Zhangjiakou.

But Sun visited two of the cities and urged officials to take decisive action and allocate resources to put down outbreaks as soon as they start.

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