Wang Tao: China’s Looser Covid Restrictions Mark an Important Step Toward a Policy Change

Covid outbreaks have flared up in multiple cities across China since late September. The number of new daily cases (confirmed cases and asymptomatic infections) surged from a few hundred in September to more than 10,000 on Thursday. In particular, the city of Guangzhou, with a population of 19 million, reported that the number of daily new cases more than doubled in a week to 2,600. In the city, the number of mid-to-high risk areas rose from 1,400 at the end of September to around 7,000 on Thursday.