China's state media shifts tone on virus risk

BEIJING: After being dominated by doom and gloom coverage of the virus and scenes of outbreak chaos abroad, China's tightly controlled media has dramatically shifted tone as the country moves away from zero-COVID.

Beijing is dialling down its curbs in response to nationwide protests calling for an end to lockdowns and greater political freedoms, anchored by a hardline strategy of mass lockdowns, forced quarantine in centralised facilities and mass testing for millions.

The policy shift has been accompanied by rapid changes in state media and official statements that downplay the risk from the virus and blame local officials for over-zealous implementation of COVID 19 lockdowns.

The current Omicron strain is not like last year's Delta variant of Guangzhou-based medicine professor Chong Yutian, according to an article published by the Communist Party-run China Youth Daily.

The vast majority of people will have no or light symptoms after being afflicted with the Omicron variant, and very few will go on to have severe symptoms, he assured readers.

The story in the Beijing Youth Daily told readers that COVID 19 patients were recovered from the virus, but don't be overly terrified.

According to an analysis on Friday December 2 by People's Daily, health experts supported local government moves to allow patients to quarantine at home, which would be a marked departure from current rules.

This is a kind of official propaganda that prepares the people for more relaxation and gives the government the chance to step down from zero-COVID Hong Kong-based Chinese politics expert Willy Lam, who said that the government is stepping down from zero-COVID Hong Kong-based Chinese politics expert Willy Lam.

Experts say Beijing is laying the groundwork for a loosening of COVID 19 rules and putting in place convenient scapegoats to blame for the restrictions going too far.

The country's top virus response body pointed out over-zealous local officials who have gone overboard with their virus measures, and urged in a Q&A with the People's Daily on Saturday that these people be strictly held accountable. There will be punishment of a lot of local officials, Lam told AFP.

A sub-district security official in Hunan province was expelled from the Communist Party and removed from his post for assaulting a local resident during a lock-down-related dispute.

State media has recently published exposes of alleged violations of COVID - 19 testing companies, a scapegoat, with COVID - 19 testing companies emerging as a scapegoat.