‘It’s dead out here’: China’s slow exit from zero-COVID

Summary Summary Companies Beijing eased curbs in major policy shift on Wednesday Change came after historic protests last month HSBC CEO hails new rules as “meaningful progress” Analysts say virus spike will hurt short-term growth BEIJING, Dec 9 (Reuters) – Judging by Friday’s quiet streets in China’s capital Beijing and the reluctance of some businesses to drop COVID curbs, enduring anxieties about the coronavirus are likely to hamper a speedy return to health for the world’s second-largest economy. Although the government on Wednesday loosened key parts of its strict “zero-COVID” policy that has kept the pandemic largely at bay for…