Two sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters that China would allow some of the supplementary measures to be announced in the coming days to home quarantine people who test positive for COVID-19.
Home isolation for the infected will be a significant change in China’s quarantine protocol. Earlier this year, entire communities were locked down, sometimes for weeks, even after only one positive case was found. Last month, new and easier quarantine rules required only affected buildings to close.
Not all positive cases will be allowed to unconditionally quarantine at home, one of the sources told Reuters on Thursday, adding that pregnant women, the elderly and people with underlying illnesses would be eligible to isolate at home.
Sources said close contacts of the cases would also be allowed to self-isolate at home if their home environment fulfills certain conditions.
Officials will also increase antigen test for new coronavirus and reduce the frequency of mass testing and routine nucleic acid tests, both sources said.
The National Health Commission did not immediately respond to a Reuters fax seeking comment.
Rare public protests against China’s ultra-stringent coronavirus restrictions, which have included throwing positive cases into centralized quarantine facilities in some Chinese cities such as Shanghai, Guangzhou and Beijing, have erupted since the weekend.
The demonstrations have become a show of public defiance unprecedented since President Xi Jinping came to power in 2012. Vice Premier Sun Chunlan, who oversees China’s counter COVID efforts, on Wednesday urged further “optimization” of testing, treatment and quarantine policies.
National health officials said this week authorities would respond to “urgent concerns” raised by the public and that COVID rules should be applied more flexibly according to field conditions.
Prominent nationalist commentator Hu Zijin said in a social media post on Wednesday that many asymptomatic carriers of the coronavirus in Beijing were already quarantining at home.
read all breaking news Here