Plus, they might be pressuring the WHO to end the status of the pandemic.

Also, if COVID gets classified as class B or whatever they call it, the number of deaths and cases may no longer be reported in a timely manner.

Here is an unofficial list of December flights (not including HK, Macau, or Taiwan):
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/50eJcgwJ9OQrx1GqB_AawA

I didn't notice any additions, and they appear to have omitted San Francisco entirely (possibly an oversight).

Let's see what happens tomorrow https://www.reuters.com/world/china/...es-2022-12-05/

A Xinhua editorial claimed “The most difficult period has passed, and now the pathogenicity of Omicron is weakening, and our response capability is increasing, which has laid a foundation and provided conditions for continuous optimization and improvement of prevention and control measures.”
source: http://www.news.cn/politics/2022-12/05/c_1129185654.htm

A CCTV story recounted the experiences of six former COVID patients to reassure the public that the virus is mild and treatable.
source: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/nZF7MqwvKm_tzx_9IMkLug

Between Sunday and Monday, three more China-made, recombinant protein COVID vaccines were approved for emergency use in China.
All three remain in Phase III clinical trials both in China and abroad.
source: https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_21042665

It looks like that list only covers Chinese airlines. Only UA flies SFO - China right now.

Oh yeah, now I remember that those guys publish a separate list for non-Chinese airlines.

Again, call me a sceptic or even politically biased from where I'm from or the views I expressed I held in the past (and still hold).
But in terms of breaking Covid Zero I still have to see it to believe it.

I turned around on China containing Covid, initially not believing they have contained the outbreak, until I have received multiple assurances from people I know in addition to reported news that this was happening. This of course then became Covid Zero.

So if the state wants to tell me now that they're reversing on that I need to see the following:
1) Far more flights into and out of China
2) The HK-Mainland border reopened
3) Reports from the ground not just of cities reopening, but towns not becoming locked in
3a) I don't have a lot of contacts with people outside of cities - it will be a bit of hearsay from those that do.

Otherwise, it may be a case of - the country is reopening, but just not here.

Plus, can they really do a city vs country divide? I doubt it. Unless I see 2m die, I don't think they're serious. I don't wish ill on other people - but - this is the butcher's bill that is outstanding.
HK paid a bill of 11K deaths when we lost it - hospital patient rooms filled with corpses - before we are where we are now. And our public health system is presently more effective than any city in Mainland.

At the risk of beating a dead horse, the elimination of the third-country shenanigans (including that multiple lab PCR test ritual) was a BIG deal for inbound; sure you might end up in Qingdao or Xiamen, but that's not the end of the world. And, getting flights out is not difficult or expensive (of course, the addressable market remains constrained though)
Isn't it (e.g. Shekou, Shenzhen Bay) kind of open already?
Don't small-town people at least attempt to post their tails of woe on social media? As long as they stay up for more than ~15 minutes, they presumably go viral.

I am likely not fully understanding what you posted, but what it is that you're not believing, exactly?
That they moved away from "Covid Zero"?


FWIW: Supposedly PEK and PKX are not going to require proof a recent negative test to enter the facility, and some other restrictions are to be lifted today (or soon), with a declassification (or downgrade) of Covid-19 to a less severe category.

Not sure you are aware even from here in HK, how Stockholm that sounds.

Shenzhen Bay still quotaed ,1000/day https://www.hk01.com/%E5%8D%B3%E6%99...0%863%E9%A1%9E ?

Easier to suppress unconnected towns and villages physically and online, than cities like Shanghai.

Not sure if true, but from what I hear it's not the big, bad govt. that's making these small villages/towns/country be closed off, but them themselves.
Whether that comes from an irrational fear of Covid-19; the fact some places had no (or hardly any) lockdowns or cases so far and they want to keep it that way, I have no idea.
But it's said that come CNY, although China as a whole might be pretty much open by then, some smaller, outlying places will put up their own 'borders' and check-points to try and prevent anyone entering with Covid-19.

Indeed. One major reason for the Foxconn unrest in Zhengzhou was the fact that they housed new workers with the old and the new ones didn't like that because they believed the existing workers were infected with Covid.

Local governments seems to be a convenient bogeyman for policies set by central government and not influenced by them.

- they can’t criticise the central government back
- central Govt set their resourcing or lack thereof
- all “costs” (death toll) are blamed on them, general social order is credited to central govt

For much of April and May, the local government in Shanghai effectively was the central government. They have also taken active roles in other spotlight situations.

Shenzhen Bay increase to 2,000/day from tomorrow. Baby steps, baby steps.

Latest rumor swirling on Wechat:

China will remove restrictions on international travel by January 9, and move to the 0+3 system that Hong Kong is using for international arrivals.