Beijing Sees Record Covid Cases as China Vows Small Easing Steps
- Infections in Chinese capital spread past 5,000 daily level
- Vice Premier says change to come in small, continual steps
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The Chinese capital of Beijing reported 5,006 cases for Wednesday, a record, as it struggles to contain the worst ever outbreak to hit the country’s political and cultural center amid public anger at the punishing Covid Zero regime.
The surge comes at a critical moment for leaders, who have to decide whether to tolerate some spread of the virus or revert to strict Covid Zero curbs to halt the outbreak at the expense of the economy. While many districts are largely at a standstill through creeping curbs and with people afraid to go out, officials have refrained from declaring mass lockdowns or testing.