idealistic demonstrators. and weeks after the protests in early december, the chinese government suddenly abandoned zero covid. relief rippled through the country. but then seemingly overnight the government went from harsh lockdowns to suddenly allowing the virus to rip uncontrolled. hospitals are now overwhelmed and cellrematoriums packed. but many chinese people are just happy to have their lives back while the man who sparked the chants for freedom not lockdowns may never be seen again. we may never know exactly how much of an impact the protests had on the chinese government s decision to drop zero covid versus other factors like economic one, but considering the government s obsession with control for three years of the pandemic, this chaotic and sudden reopening, well, it has been shocking. the protestors we spoke to said they will never forget the legacy of the man who hung the
idealistic demonstrators. then weeks after the protest, in early december, the chinese government suddenly abandoned zero covid. relief rippled through the country. but then seemingly overnight, the government went from harsh lockdowns to suddenly allowing the virus to rip uncontrolled. hospitals are now overwhelmed, and crematoriums are packed with people waiting to burn the dead bodies of their loved ones. but many chinese people are just happy to have their lives back. while the man who sparked the chants for freedom, not lockdowns, may never be seen again. selina wang, cnn, beijing. and good news for u.s. consumers. inflation is finally starting to cool. so how is that translating to prices at the stores? we ll break its down next. on the subway app. deal like this one! 50% off?! that deal s so good we don t even need an eight-time all-star to tell l you about it.
that there is no policy relaxation and now you see it in its new measures in the most radical policy and change measures in the most radical policy and change since zero covid 19 was in place and change since zero covid 19 was in place in and change since zero covid 19 was in place in 2020 and essentially, this was in place in 2020 and essentially, this was dismantled entirely. would you describe this as a win for the protestors? beijing would like to have many different reasons for the changes. butjustifying this policy shift is because butjustifying this policy shift is because the virus has changed and we know that because the virus has changed and we know that the virus is not changed in its know that the virus is not changed in its nature know that the virus is not changed in its nature in such a short period of time, the real reason is the dramatlc of time, the real reason is the dramatic policy shift should be attributed to the social protests and we attributed
wearing a mask and washing my hands. anti zero covid protests have been building all year and, after calls were made for the country s leader xijinping to resign, changes came quickly. the speed with which china is now dismantling its zero covid system has taken most people by surprise. the government says it s because the virus itself has changed, not that it s in response to protests in the streets. well those who were demonstrating won t care how the government spins it, as long as they get the changes. but it will mean more people catching the coronavirus and hospitals like this are going to find it difficult to deal with the big influx of patients, so officials say they re not expanding the capacity of specialist units. pharmacies have become very busy, with people rushing to buy medicine in anticipation of an increase in infections. but the mood here is much more buoyant. finally, there s light at the end
the changes come after widespread protests against covid lockdowns. 0ur china correspondent stephen mcdonell reports from beijing. previously, catching covid 19 here meant being sent to centralised quarantine facilities, which varied wildly in quality. not any more. now, if you contract the coronavirus, you can choose to isolate at home. life is returning to beijing streets. though infections haven t come down, more easing measures have been announced. pcr tests are no longer required to enter buildings, apart from hospitals and schools. covid restrictions on inter province travel have been removed. translation: i ve retired and i want to travel again. | after easing up, i can go on a trip somewhere. all these venues are open, we can now go in the parks and the shopping centres. i m still afraid, i go - to places where not many people and protect myself,