China reaffirms strict anti-Covid policies

China is confident in its ability to deal with the new Omicron variant of coronavirus, according to one of the country’s top pandemic advisers, suggesting that the news reaffirmed its stance towards Covid while other countries have been attempting to ease restrictions.

The comments were reported via Chinese media, as local authorities warned against the possibly “disastrous” consequences of diverting away from the country’s elimination strategy.

“China’s current rapid response . . . strategy can cope with various types of Covid variants,” Zhang Wenhong, an infectious disease expert and director of the Huashan Hospital’s department of infectious diseases in Shanghai, said on Weibo.

“I don’t think it will have a big impact on China at the moment.”

China has adopted a zero-tolerance strategy towards Covid, with many being made to undergo compulsory government quarantines.

The strategy has been effective at preventing deaths, however, China has become more isolated from the rest of the world.

With the rest of the world going back to imposing restrictions, Zhang says it has gained a “strategic opportunity” thanks to its policies up to now.

Another pandemic expert said that while they may need to closely monitor people arriving from Africa, broadly speaking, their measures to tackle Covid will remain unchanged. “How harmful it is, how fast it will spread, whether it will make the disease more serious . . . it is too early to draw a conclusion,” Zhong Nanshan said.