Analysis: China's 'Zero-Covid' Policy Is Here to Stay Despite Relaxing of Quarantine Rules

By Wei Xiaoning, Yu Huanhuan, Li Lin and Chen Xin

Draconian measures taken by local authorities have become one of the biggest concerns amid the pandemic.

The update to China’s Covid-19 control guidelines issued Tuesday dramatically reduced quarantine requirements but didn’t ease the national “zero-Covid” strategy as some critics advocated. The revision underscores the balancing-act nature of China’s Covid policymaking.

The ninth version of the national disease control plan doesn’t mean a major shift in China’s overall strategy, experts said. At the same time, authorities are struggling to find the right combination of measures to keep the virus from running wildly out of control while also avoiding the massive shutdowns that savaged the economy in the second quarter.