China eases some virus controls, searches pedestrians
Source: AP
today
BEIJING (AP) — More Chinese cities eased some anti-virus restrictions as police patrolled their streets to head off protests Thursday while the ruling Communist Party prepared for the high-profile funeral of late leader Jiang Zemin.
Guangzhou in the south, Shijiazhuang in the north, Chengdu in the southwest and other major cities announced they were easing testing requirements and controls on movement. In some areas, markets and bus service reopened.
The announcements didn’t mention last weekend’s protests in Shanghai, Beijing and at least six other cities against the human cost of anti-virus restrictions that confine millions of people to their homes. But the timing and publicity suggested President Xi Jinping’s government was trying to mollify public anger after some protesters made the politically explosive demand that Xi resign.
With a heavy police presence, there was no indication of protests. Notes on social media complained that people were being stopped at random for police to check smartphones, possibly looking for prohibited apps such as Twitter, in what they said was a violation of China’s Constitution.
A child wearing a face mask and riding on a scooter passes by a worker in protective suit on his way to collect COVID samples from the lockdown residents in Beijing, Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022. More cities eased anti-virus restrictions as Chinese police tried to head off protests Thursday while the ruling Communist Party prepared for the high-profile funeral of the late leader Jiang Zemin. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
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