Chinese authorities might come up with 10 new COVID-19 easing measures as early as Wednesday, news agency Reuters reported citing sources. The report comes after China started relaxing some of the strict restrictions in the aftermath of public outrage and massive protests in different parts of the nation.&nbsp;

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the sources told the news agency on Monday, that the management of the disease may be downgraded as soon as January, to the less strict Category B from the current top-level Category A of infectious disease.&nbsp;

China has classified Covid as a Category B infectious disease since January 2020, but it has managed it under Category A protocols. The authorities have given local authorities the power to quarantine patients and their close contacts and lock down regions.&nbsp;

In China, category A covers diseases such as bubonic plague and cholera. Category B groups SARS, AIDS and anthrax. Category C deals with diseases such as influenza, leprosy and mumps.&nbsp;

However, The National Health Commission has not confirmed the Reuters report so far.&nbsp;

WATCH |&nbsp;China: Protesters in China angered against Xi’s Zero Covid policy&nbsp;

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China, a country where the first known case of Covid was reported in late 2019, adopted a "zero-Covid" policy to curb the spread of the deadly virus.&nbsp;

The so-called "zero-Covid" policy included mass testing and phased lockdowns, but it caused huge losses to the Chinese economy.&nbsp;

Not just China's economy, the policy also cost its role as the world's workshop. Market leaders urged Beijing to relax some of the rules when restrictions impacted production.&nbsp;

But recent reports have suggested&nbsp;that China is all set to let go of the "zero-Covid" policy, but the rise in cases is alarming and the&nbsp;authorities also faced the daunting task of handling the Covid protesters.

China on Saturday called the virus no more serious than a "seasonal cold" and urged the public not to panic.&nbsp;

&nbsp;As quoted by the South China Morning Post report, Tang Xiaoping, the director of the No 8 People's Hospital in Guangzhou, said: "The virulence of the new coronavirus [Omicron] has now evolved to the level of the seasonal flu, and some are even less virulent than the flu, so you really don’t need to panic."

Tang is also the head of the national key clinical department of infectious diseases.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

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Chinese authorities might come up with 10 new COVID-19 easing measures as early as Wednesday, news agency Reuters reported citing sources. The report comes after China started relaxing some of the strict restrictions in the aftermath of public outrage and massive protests in different parts of the nation.

Chinese authorities might come up with 10 new COVID-19 easing measures as early as Wednesday, news agency Reuters reported citing sources. The report comes after China started relaxing some of the strict restrictions in the aftermath of public outrage and massive protests in different parts of the nation. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the sources told the news agency on Monday, that the management of the disease may be downgraded as soon as January, to the less strict Category B from the current top-level Category A of infectious disease. China has classified Covid as a Category B infectious disease since January 2020, but it has managed it under Category A protocols. The authorities have given local authorities the power to quarantine patients and their close contacts and lock down regions. In China, category A covers diseases such as bubonic plague and cholera. Category B groups SARS, AIDS and anthrax. Category C deals with diseases such as influenza, leprosy and mumps. However, The National Health Commission has not confirmed the Reuters report so far. WATCH | China: Protesters in China angered against Xi’s Zero Covid policy × China, a country where the first known case of Covid was reported in late 2019, adopted a "zero-Covid" policy to curb the spread of the deadly virus. The so-called "zero-Covid" policy included mass testing and phased lockdowns, but it caused huge losses to the Chinese economy. Not just China's economy, the policy also cost its role as the world's workshop. Market leaders urged Beijing to relax some of the rules when restrictions impacted production. But recent reports have suggested that China is all set to let go of the "zero-Covid" policy, but the rise in cases is alarming and the authorities also faced the daunting task of handling the Covid protesters. China on Saturday called the virus no more serious than a "seasonal cold" and urged the public not to panic. As quoted by the South China Morning Post report, Tang Xiaoping, the director of the No 8 People's Hospital in Guangzhou, said: "The virulence of the new coronavirus [Omicron] has now evolved to the level of the seasonal flu, and some are even less virulent than the flu, so you really don’t need to panic." Tang is also the head of the national key clinical department of infectious diseases. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

China may announce new COVID-19 easing measures on Wednesday: Report

Chinese President Xi Jinping in a meeting with EU's Council President Charles Michel urged for 'political means'&nbsp;for Ukraine as the best solution to solve the ongoing conflict which will&nbsp;serve&nbsp;as the common interest for countries in "Eurasia." He added that countries need to work for peace and should avoid expansion or escalation of the war.&nbsp;

The statement comes after he met with the president of the European Council Charles Michel. China has made similar statements in past while refusing to criticise or condemn Russia's invasion.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/chinese-president-xi-meets-eu-chief-charles-michel-says-china-hopes-for-fair-and-transparent-ties-539017">Also read |&nbsp;President Xi meets EU's Charles Michel, says China hopes for fair and transparent ties</a>

The EU's council chief came for a day visit to Bejing, after Xi's invitation. Michel has urged the Chinese President to use his influence with Russia to respect the UN charter and Ukraine's sovereignty. He said that the activities in Ukraine are highly unacceptable and dangerous as well, AP reported.&nbsp;

Both Chinese President and Russian President Vladimir Putin share a strong bond. Weeks before Moscow's invasion began, both leaders affirmed their bond as having "no limits." Beijing even stepped up its oil purchases from Russia.&nbsp;

Michel's visit also seeks to balance the EU's wish for more exports to China, raised issues on human rights and the need for a peaceful assembly.&nbsp;

On Thursday, Michel told reporters that he raised human rights issues during the meeting including the issue of Muslim minorities in Xinjiang who are being forcefully assimilated to eradicate their religion.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russia-ukraine-crisis-upto-13000-ukrainian-soldiers-killed-since-invasion-claims-zelenskys-adviser-539308">Also read |&nbsp;Russia-Ukraine war: Up to 13,000 Ukrainian soldiers killed since invasion, claims Zelensky's adviser&nbsp;</a>

Beijing on the other hand has denied all these allegations saying that it has been waging campaigns in&nbsp;eliminating&nbsp;terrorism and extremism in the country. It added that it's been trying to create job opportunities.&nbsp;

China has been engaged in a violent environment since a few days after citizens angry about the Covid policies and lockdowns began protesting. The Asian country witnessed its largest protest in three decades which was conducted last week as people in Beijing and Shanghai took to the streets. Several have been detained.&nbsp;

Earlier German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also visited China. Scholz also urged Xi to use his influence in Russia and raised human rights issues.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

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Chinese President Xi Jinping in a meeting with EU's Council President Charles Michel urged for 'political means' for Ukraine as the best solution to solve the ongoing conflict which will serve as the common interest for countries in "Eurasia.

Chinese President Xi Jinping in a meeting with EU's Council President Charles Michel urged for 'political means' for Ukraine as the best solution to solve the ongoing conflict which will serve as the common interest for countries in "Eurasia." He added that countries need to work for peace and should avoid expansion or escalation of the war. The statement comes after he met with the president of the European Council Charles Michel. China has made similar statements in past while refusing to criticise or condemn Russia's invasion. Also read | President Xi meets EU's Charles Michel, says China hopes for fair and transparent ties The EU's council chief came for a day visit to Bejing, after Xi's invitation. Michel has urged the Chinese President to use his influence with Russia to respect the UN charter and Ukraine's sovereignty. He said that the activities in Ukraine are highly unacceptable and dangerous as well, AP reported. Both Chinese President and Russian President Vladimir Putin share a strong bond. Weeks before Moscow's invasion began, both leaders affirmed their bond as having "no limits." Beijing even stepped up its oil purchases from Russia. Michel's visit also seeks to balance the EU's wish for more exports to China, raised issues on human rights and the need for a peaceful assembly. On Thursday, Michel told reporters that he raised human rights issues during the meeting including the issue of Muslim minorities in Xinjiang who are being forcefully assimilated to eradicate their religion. Also read | Russia-Ukraine war: Up to 13,000 Ukrainian soldiers killed since invasion, claims Zelensky's adviser Beijing on the other hand has denied all these allegations saying that it has been waging campaigns in eliminating terrorism and extremism in the country. It added that it's been trying to create job opportunities. China has been engaged in a violent environment since a few days after citizens angry about the Covid policies and lockdowns began protesting. The Asian country witnessed its largest protest in three decades which was conducted last week as people in Beijing and Shanghai took to the streets. Several have been detained. Earlier German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also visited China. Scholz also urged Xi to use his influence in Russia and raised human rights issues. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE

Chinese President Xi Jinping urges for 'Ukraine talks' in a meeting with EU's council chief Michel

Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said everyone in China should be allowed to protest and express themselves amid Beijing’s crackdown on COVID-19.

Canada's Trudeau expresses support for lockdown protesters in China

In the latest from China's Foxconn's labour unrest, reports say that large protest at Foxconn's flagship iPhone plant in China were under control and the company continued to communicate with employees engaged in smaller protests. Watch this to know more.

Protests under control at Foxconn's iPhone factory in China: Report

The Chinese government created a color-coded smartphone app to track people's movements in the early stages of the epidemic in an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19 and carry out its zero-COVID policy. However, this week, media sources stated that Henan province's capital city of Zhengzhou's officials were now employing the necessary rules to restrict the movement of citizens irate that their accounts had been frozen by nearby banks.

On Monday, hundreds of depositors who had lost access to their money had intended to go to Zhengzhou, but their health codes had unexpectedly changed to red. Due of their inability to travel, the protests were unsuccessful. The red code appeared to target exclusively depositors.

On Tuesday, an editorial appeared in the official newspaper Global Times, "The health code is a technical means designed to make the public compromise some personal information rights to comply with the needs of society's public health security. It can only be used for epidemic prevention purposes. It is the responsibility of the relevant authorities to protect the privacy of citizens to the greatest extent during the epidemic prevention process."

The red code issue, according to Hu Xijin, the former editor-in-chief of Global Times, is "extremely troubling," and any use that isn't related to COVID is a "obvious breach" of virus control procedures.

Watch | Gravitas: Will China make Pakistan lease parts of PoK?

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Some have conjectured that the technology may be utilised as a political tool to limit mobility ever since China started marketing the portable and personalised health codes in response to the coronavirus outbreak. Through a smartphone, the programme keeps track of a user's travels, contact history, and physiological data like temperature.

According to a blog post at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based research group, the software employs a QR code to track a user's movements to track exposure to known cases of the virus. Authorities in China mandated that citizens register for facial recognition, provide their names and ID numbers, and acquire the QR code associated with their identity. 
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The Chinese government created a color-coded smartphone app to track people's movements in the early stages of the epidemic in an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19 and carry out its zero-COVID policy.

The Chinese government created a color-coded smartphone app to track people's movements in the early stages of the epidemic in an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19 and carry out its zero-COVID policy. However, this week, media sources stated that Henan province's capital city of Zhengzhou's officials were now employing the necessary rules to restrict the movement of citizens irate that their accounts had been frozen by nearby banks. On Monday, hundreds of depositors who had lost access to their money had intended to go to Zhengzhou, but their health codes had unexpectedly changed to red. Due of their inability to travel, the protests were unsuccessful. The red code appeared to target exclusively depositors. On Tuesday, an editorial appeared in the official newspaper Global Times, "The health code is a technical means designed to make the public compromise some personal information rights to comply with the needs of society's public health security. It can only be used for epidemic prevention purposes. It is the responsibility of the relevant authorities to protect the privacy of citizens to the greatest extent during the epidemic prevention process." The red code issue, according to Hu Xijin, the former editor-in-chief of Global Times, is "extremely troubling," and any use that isn't related to COVID is a "obvious breach" of virus control procedures. Watch | Gravitas: Will China make Pakistan lease parts of PoK? Some have conjectured that the technology may be utilised as a political tool to limit mobility ever since China started marketing the portable and personalised health codes in response to the coronavirus outbreak. Through a smartphone, the programme keeps track of a user's travels, contact history, and physiological data like temperature. According to a blog post at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based research group, the software employs a QR code to track a user's movements to track exposure to known cases of the virus. Authorities in China mandated that citizens register for facial recognition, provide their names and ID numbers, and acquire the QR code associated with their identity. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Chinese authorities using Covid tracking system to thwart protesters

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China may announce new COVID-19 easing measures on Wednesday: Report

Chinese President Xi Jinping urges for 'Ukraine talks' in a meeting with EU's council chief Michel

Canada's Trudeau expresses support for lockdown protesters in China

Protests under control at Foxconn's iPhone factory in China: Report

Chinese authorities using Covid tracking system to thwart protesters