Residents of China's capital were allowed into parks, supermarkets, offices and airports without a negative COVID-19 test on Tuesday, the latest in a mix of easing steps nationwide after unprecedented protests against a tough zero-COVID policy.
"Beijing readies itself for life again," read a headline in the government-owned China Daily newspaper, adding that people were "gradually embracing" newfound freedoms.
As they waited for news, some people, wary the virus might now spread faster, rushed to buy COVID-19 antigen kits and fever medicine and market regulators issued warnings against hoarding and hiking prices. While rallies have subsided, throngs of students at a university in Nanjing city chanted at a protest on Monday against COVID-19 policy on their campus, according to videos on Twitter. Reuters confirmed that the footage was taken at Nanjing Tech University.
The Chinese yuan has risen about 5% against the dollar since early November on expectation of an eventual reopening of China's economy. But on the ground, many people have been slow to adapt to the changing rules. Commuter traffic in major cities such as Beijing and Chongqing has remained a fraction of normal levels.
China has reported 5,235 COVID-related deaths as of Monday, but some experts have warned that the toll could rise above 1 million if the exit is too hasty.Analysts at Nomura estimate that areas under lockdown represent about 19.3% of China's total gross domestic product, equivalent to the size of India's economy but down from 25.1% last Monday.
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