Bugged out: What can we expect after Beijing ends Covid rules?

After long pursing a zero-Covid policy, China has relaxed many restrictions including quarantine rules for travellers. But some experts have raised concerns the U-turn may cause problems. We take a look at why.

- Nicola Davis

What has happened in China? 

Until December, China followed a zero-Covid policy, including strict lockdowns and quarantining those testing positive and their close contacts. However, in an abrupt U-turn, it abandoned many - not all- of its restrictions, apparently in response to protests.

Among the measures it has scrapped are use of its primary Covid tracking app and domestic travel restrictions. The government has allowed people with Covid to quarantine at home and said that, from early January, overseas visitors will no longer have to quarantine.

What is the current situation?

China is experiencing a large wave of Covid infections, with reports of hospitals under intense pressure. However, it is hard to know the mortality rate. China changed the definition of Covid deaths; only patients who die because of pneumonia and respiratory failure meet the criteria for a Covid death.

Why is it such a bad wave?

There are a number of reasons. The relaxation of restrictions has given the virus a greater chance to spread, and China's sluggish vaccination campaign, coupled with the use of a less effective vaccine than those developed in the west, means the population has little protection and many vulnerable people are at risk.