BEIJING: Bejing hit out on the recent restrictions imposed by several nations on arrival from its territory. The US, Canada, Australia, France, South Korea, and Japan are a few countries along India that have mandated passengers from China to present a negative RT-PCR.

China on Monday added 3 new COVID death taking the death toll to 5253 since the outbreak. According to experts, Shanghai’s top hospitals may have 70 percent of the megacity’s population infected with COVID-19 during the recent surge, a media report said on Tuesday. Scientists later in the day are expected to give a briefing on viral sequencing to the technical advisory group of WHO. It has also asked China to share data on hospitalizations, deaths, and vaccinations.

Chinese authorities are bracing for a virus surge as millions prepare to return home for the week-long Lunar New year public holiday beginning January 21. According to the National Health Commission official, Jiao Yahui- the predicted peak in the coming days is an ‘enormous challenge’. As the virus spreads unpredictably, funeral parlors report a spike in demand for their services

The policy shift followed protests over the “zero COVID” approach championed by President Xi Jinping, marking the strongest show of public defiance in his decade-old presidency and coinciding with the slowest growth in China in nearly half a century.