The Chinese government announced on Wednesday that people will no longer be required to present negative Covid tests or health codes in order to travel across the country while giving a nod to boost its manufacturing as work and local production will not be stopped unless an area is designated as high risk.
The authorities said that it would allow Covid patients with mild symptoms to have home isolation. Meanwhile, other than facilities such as retirement homes, elementary and middle schools and health clinics, venues should not require Covid tests to enter.
The announcement came after huge protests in major cities, including Guangzhou where Apple’s largest iPhone plant has been under lockdown measures, causing delay on iPhone’s shipment.
Earlier this morning, China’s exports continued to fall in November amid disruption in production lines and operations due to the new wave of Covid-19 outbreak in major cities across the country.
China’s dollar-denominated exports fell 8.7% in November on an annualized basis, much higher than a 3.5% drop forecast by Reuters Poll and a sharp fall from a 0.3% drop in October. The decline in November marked the worst performance of Chinese exports data since February 2020.
Meanwhile, imports fell 10.6% in November compared to a year ago and also fell further than a 6% drop forecast by Reuters Poll.
China reported a trade surplus at $69.84 billion, lower than the forecast for $78.1 billion.
