HONG KONG -- Sun Chunlan, China's vice premier and COVID-19 czar, sat at a conference table surrounded by health experts wearing masks. "With the weakening of the pathogenicity of omicron, the popularity of vaccination, [and] the accumulation of experience in prevention and control, China is facing a new situation and new tasks," Beijing's state media quoted her as saying during a National Health Commission meeting last Wednesday.
It was not exactly a revocation of the zero-COVID policy China has pursued with relentless and sometimes merciless zeal during the pandemic, a policy that has disrupted the lives of millions and battered the economy.
