COVID-19: Xi Jinping finally speaks as China faces 'new situation', urges steps to 'protect' lives

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday (December 26) spoke for the first time about the current coronavirus (COVID-19) situation in the country. China is battling a fresh wave of Covid cases after the nation eased some of the hardline measures earlier this month.

In his directive, Xi urged healthcare officials to take steps to protect lives. His remarks come as reports emerged that people are struggling due to shortages of medicines, hospitalbeds, etc.

According to the Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, Xi said, "At present, Covid-19 prevention and control in China are facing a new situation and new tasks."

He added, "We should launch the patriotic health campaign in a more targeted way, fortify a community line of defence for epidemic prevention and control, and effectively protect people's lives, safety and health."

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China, where the first known Covid case was reported in late 2019, adopted a strict zero-Covid policy to curb the spread of the virus. The precautionary measures did help the nation to remain mostly immune to the deadly virus, but the impact of lockdowns and restrictions was evident on the economy.

As per studies, around one million people could die over the next few months in China.

Meanwhile, as the situation continues to worsen, the Chinese authorities said that they will stop publishing daily Covid figures.

As per the National Health Commission, the decision came into effect on December 25. The drastic step has baffled the experts as the NHC released Covid data for the last three years.

(With inputs from agencies)

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