On video: Protest against the corona restrictions in Shanghai, China (Reuters)
The Luxembourg News Agency reported yesterday (Friday) that approximately 250 million Chinese were infected with Corona in the first 20 days of December, after the easing of some of the restrictions that had been in effect in the country for three years.
The data was revealed in leaked documents of senior officials of the Chinese health system.
If the figures are indeed correct, about 18 percent of China's residents have been infected with Corona, in the largest outbreak since the beginning of the epidemic.
The numbers were presented at an internal meeting of China's National Health Commission, however the credibility of the document is unclear.
Furthermore, according to the data, on Tuesday alone 37 million Chinese were infected with the virus.
Corona tests in Xi'an, China (Photo: Reuters)
At the beginning of the month, China announced an easing of the isolation protocol and a reduction of the mass tests against the backdrop of the protests that had been requested in the country.
The new guidelines include a reduction in PCR tests, and will allow the infected and their relatives to undergo isolation at home and not in a government facility.
Until then, even the detection of a single positive case led to the isolation of entire communities for weeks.
Less than 24 hours after protests broke out in Guangzhou, authorities in at least seven provinces said they were lifting lockdowns.
One district even said it would allow schools, restaurants and businesses, including movie theaters, to reopen.
The cities of Chongqing and Zhengzhou also announced an easing of the policy.
Moreover, Deputy Prime Minister Sun Chunlan, who oversees the corona policy, said that the ability of the virus to cause the disease has weakened, according to local media reports.
"The country is facing a new situation and new tasks in preventing the epidemic and controlling the virus while it is weakening, more people are vaccinated and the experience in containing it is accumulating,"
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