China should eventually ‘co-exist’ with Covid

BEIJING: China should aim to co-exist with the virus and could move away from its zero-Covid strategy "in the near future," a top Chinese scientist said in a possible sign that the country’s leadership is rethinking its strict approach.

The country where the coronavirus was first detected in 2019 is now one of the last places still clinging to a zero-tolerance approach, responding to small outbreaks with snap lockdowns and cutting off most international travel.

But fatigue over disruptions to everyday life as well as semi-autonomous Hong Kong’s struggle to contain a mass Omicron outbreak have raised questions about the sustainability of Beijing’s approach.

China’s strategy against Covid-19 cannot "remain unchanged forever" and "it is the long-term goal of humanity to co-exist with the virus" at tolerable death and illness rates, Zeng Guang wrote on social media platform Weibo on Monday.

Zeng is the former chief scientist of China’s Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and one of the experts behind the country’s initial Covid response. Zeng said that while China’s approach had prevented the early chaos of widespread infection experienced by many Western countries, its low infection rate was now a "soft spot" as far fewer people had built up natural immunity. He said Western countries were now showing "commendable courage" in exploring how to live with the virus.