Cover Story: China’s ‘Zero-Covid’ Looks Done. So, What to Expect Next?

It was the 25th day that Guangzhou resident Fang Yuan had been confined to her home under lockdown when she was disturbed by a loud noise. A cacophony of machinery and clearance work erupted to break the silence that had settled over the neighborhood after isolation barricades had gone up weeks earlier as Covid raged across the city and much of China.

Surprised by the commotion, Fang looked out her window and was astonished at what she saw: the red barricades were being torn down.