Part 3/15:
The official line in October 2022 from President Xi Jinping advocated for zero COVID as the way forward, with no apparent plans for a transition. Yet, in a surprising turn, most restrictions were lifted within days in December. Masks, testing protocols, quarantine measures—all of these were eased or eliminated practically overnight. The rationale was that Omicron, while contagious, was less deadly, and that living with the virus would be the next phase of managing the pandemic.