The peak of the epidemic in China and the return to normal have “exceeded our expectations”, Vice Premier Liu He said on Tuesday, a month after the abandonment of the zero-Covid policy and despite criticism of the lack of government transparency.
• Read also: 60,000 COVID deaths in one month in China: WHO criticizes the count
• Read also: Current COVID spike in China not expected to have ‘significant’ impact in Europe
• Read also: COVID in China: 90% of the inhabitants of a province infected
“The time to reach the epidemic peak and return to normal was relatively quick. In a certain sense, it exceeded our expectations,” said the Chinese leader during a speech at the Davos Forum (Switzerland).
“The transition has on the whole been stable and smooth,” he also assured, despite the many criticisms of Beijing’s lack of transparency and the many videos relayed on the internet showing crowded hospitals.
“Recently, production and life have generally returned to normal. The food industry, tourism, and other consumption items have started to return to normal,” Liu He said, three days after Beijing announced the death of 60,000 people in connection with the virus since the end of the year. lifting of health restrictions a month ago.
The Chinese leader acknowledged that “the main difficulty currently concerns the elderly”, but that “the availability of hospitals, beds, doctors, nurses and different treatments is completely secure”.
“We warmly invite our international friends to come to China,” Liu He told the Davos audience of political leaders and businessmen, adding that local health policy no longer requires mandatory quarantine. but only a negative test of maximum 48 hours.