In the northwestern city of urumqiwhere a fire that left 10 dead catalyzed the wave of protests against the confinements, supermarkets, hotels, restaurants and ski resorts reopened on Monday.
The city of more than four million inhabitants in the region of Xinjiang, faced one of China’s longest lockdownswith some parts closed from August to November.
Authorities in Wuhan, where the coronavirus was first detected in 2019, and in Shandong have removed the testing requirement for using public transportation.
Y Zhengzhou, home to the world’s largest iPhone factory, announced on Sunday that people will be able to access public placestake public transportation, and enter residential buildings without the need for a 48-hour covid test.
WHO welcomes the decision
The World Health Organization applauded the relaxation of China’s “zero covid” policy, after hundreds of people took to the streets in several cities to demand greater political freedoms and an end to the confinement.
Long lines continue at testing centers
Although some testing centers have been dismantled, long lines have formed in front of those that remain, forcing villagers to wait in the winter cold for the Covid tests that remain mandatory in much of China.