China weighs exit from 'zero COVID', risks involved

Even as authorities lock down cities in China's worst outbreak in two years, they are looking for an exit ramp from what has been a successful but onerous COVID-19 prevention strategy.

Yanzhong Huang, a public health expert at the Council on Foreign Relations, said he saw a shift in the narrative of China's approach after the recent outbreak of the omicron strain that has put several cities under lockdown.

While China's strategy of mass testing, aggressive contact tracing, quarantines and lockdowns, remain in place, he said there are signs that authorities may be moving away from keeping an absolute zero case count.

The government for now is sticking with the tried and true policy of lockdowns, repeated mass testing of millions of people and a two-week or more quarantine for arrivals.