By Julie Zhu
HONG KONG (Reuters) – China will allow some people who test positive for COVID- to self-quarantine at home, adding Additional measures Measures will be announced in the coming days, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Home isolation of infected people would be a major change in China’s quarantine protocol. Earlier this year, entire communities were locked down, sometimes for weeks, after even one positive case was found. Last month, new simpler quarantine rules required only the closure of affected buildings.
Not all positive cases will be allowed to self-isolate unconditionally, a source told Reuters on Thursday, adding that pregnant women, the elderly and people with underlying medical conditions would be eligible for home isolation .
Sources said that if the family environment meets certain conditions, close contacts of cases will also be allowed to be isolated at home.
Authorities will also strengthen antigen testing for the new coronavirus and reduce the frequency of mass testing and regular nucleic acid testing, two sources said.
The National Health Commission did not immediately respond to a faxed Reuters request for comment.
Rare public outcry over China’s ultra-strict coronavirus restrictions, including putting positive cases into centralized isolation facilities that have seen outbreaks in some Chinese cities including Shanghai, Guangzhou and Beijing for days since the weekend. 19. Vice Premier Sun Chunlan, who is in charge of China’s fight against COVID-19, urged further “optimization” of testing, treatment and quarantine policies on Wednesday.
State health officials said this week that authorities would respond to “urgent concerns” raised by the public and that there should be more flexibility in implementing COVID rules depending on a region’s circumstances
Hu Xijin, a prominent nationalist commentator, posted on social media on Wednesday that many asymptomatic coronavirus carriers in Beijing have been quarantined at home.
