China is reporting fewer COVID-19 cases as a wave that started to accelerate last month appears to be tailing off amid a pullback in the sweeping testing regime that saw a negative result needed to even enter a public park.
The nation reported 27,164 cases for Monday, down from 29,171 on Sunday. Infections have fallen each of the past eight days since peaking at 38,808 on Nov. 27.
Cities from Shanghai to tech hub Shenzhen are dialing back testing requirements as officials seek to meet a more targeted, less onerous COVID-19 playbook handed down by Beijing. While regular testing is still required in many places to enter restaurants and high-risk areas like elderly care homes, the moves mark a retreat from a testing regime that at one point saw PCR diagnostic booths on every corner in major cities, and children required to test negative to go to parks in Beijing.