Sharjah 24 – AFP: President Xi Jinping said Saturday the "light of hope is right in front of us" as China faces an explosion of Covid-19 cases after an abrupt lifting of restrictions.
Three years after the coronavirus first emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan, Beijing this month began ditching its hardline containment policy known as "zero-Covid".
Chinese hospitals have since been hit by a flood of mostly elderly patients, crematoriums have been overloaded and many pharmacies have run out of fever medications.
"Epidemic prevention and control is entering a new phase... Everyone is working resolutely, and the light of hope is right in front of us," Xi said in a televised address for the New Year.
It was the Chinese president's second time commenting on the outbreak this week. On Monday, he called for measures to "effectively protect people's lives".
China on Saturday reported more than 7,000 new infections and one death linked to Covid out of its population of 1.4 billion -- but the figures appear to be out of step with the reality on the ground.
Authorities have announced they will end mandatory quarantine on arrival for people entering China from January 8 and allow Chinese people to travel abroad, after three years of frustration.
In response, several European countries including France and Italy, as well as the United States and Japan, have announced they will require negative tests from passengers arriving from China.
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