The country has reopened its border ports for shipping goods, as well as for incoming and outgoing visitors. It has also taken charge of allowing Chinese citizens to apply for passports and visas for business and pleasure.
COVID-19 and on-site quarantine for incoming visitors were removed, as well as preventive disinfection of imported products and inspection of bloodless chain food samples.
Policy Changes
China downgraded COVID-19 control from Class A to Class B and removed it from quarantined infectious disease control following a series of recent virus-related policy adjustments, as the country achieved a full vaccination rate of more than 90% and the COVID-19 virus showed less severity.
During the pandemic, COVID-19 was classified as a Class B infectious disease, but was subject to prevention and measures for a Class A infectious disease in China, accompanied by strict policies such as quarantine and common epidemiological investigations.
China has classified 40 notifiable infectious diseases into 3 classes (Class A, Class B and Class C). Plague and cholera are classified as class A infectious diseases. SARS, AIDS and tuberculosis are among class B infectious diseases. Class C infectious diseases come with flu and mumps.
“When the pandemic broke out, we classified COVID-19 as a Class B disease, but we implemented Class A control because of its immediate spread,” Liang said, adding that at first they didn’t know much about the disease and that such control was mandatory. to protect people.
Liang explained that some key situations have recently been replaced, adding the least fatal viral mutation, highest vaccination rate, and development of the country’s outbreak response, all of which have provided a perfect basis for making additional adjustments.
“We are willing to downgrade it to a Class B control to respond to infections more as it should be and scientifically,” Liang said.
Experts also insisted that degraded control does not mean that the country does not have or has stopped all preventive measures against the virus.
China renamed the Chinese term for COVID-19 in December from “novel coronavirus pneumonia” to “new coronavirus infection” to describe the disease more as it should.
Improved reaction to COVID-19
The NHC on Saturday released its tenth edition of rules for COVID-19 prevention and infection, highlighting the importance of strengthening vaccination among high-risk teams such as the elderly.
It has surveillance and early warning capabilities, adding normal surveillance for viral mutations, unknown pneumonia, urban wastewater, hospitals and other emergency measures such as surveillance among key groups.
“For now, medical treatment of severe cases is our priority,” Liang said. He said it was of great importance to further strengthen vaccination, virus surveillance and suburban physical care capacity.
“For any contagious disease like this, it’s not enough to rely on the government alone,” Liang said, “it’s based on the synergy that comes from the government, society, all organizations and us. “
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SOURCE CGTN