China’s ability to execute major policies is always impressive, and the 180-degree turn on the "zero-COVID" strategy that it had been enforcing almost religiously for nearly three years is no exception.
Virtually overnight, the government began tearing down once-ubiquitous COVID-19 testing centers. State media started emphasizing that the symptoms of the omicron variant are very mild. Residents of many cities were suddenly released from lockdown: people in Guangzhou, for example, can now go from home quarantine to a karaoke bar within two hours.
The post-COVID-19 era has arrived in China. What now?