China on Wednesday announced it was dropping some of the major components of its strict “zero-COVID” policy, allowing patients with mild or no symptoms to isolate at home for the first time. The new guidance from Beijing’s national health commission also instructed officials to no longer launch temporary lockdowns and axed compulsory testing for “cross-regional migrants,” indicating travel across China will be much less restrictive. Before the changes, COVID patients and people they had come into contact with were forced to stay in state quarantine facilities and entire cities could be plunged into lockdowns when outbreaks were detected. The policy change comes after anger about the draconian control measures erupted in recent weeks as protesters took to the streets and called for Chinese President Xi Jinping to step down.
