JAKARTA - Commuters in Beijing and Shanghai returned to packed the subway using masks on Monday, as China's two largest cities are getting closer to 'learning' living with COVID-19 as millions of people have been infected with the virus.
After three years of strict anti-coronavirus restrictions, President Xi Jinping canceled the country's zero-COVID lockdown policy and non-stop testing this month, in the face of widespread protests and outbreaks.
Health experts and residents fear that Chinese statistics, which do not show new deaths from COVID reported over the six days to Sunday, do not reflect the true number of deaths, and the fragile state health system is overwhelmed.
China reported no new deaths from COVID-19 on the mainland on December 25, the same as the day before, according to China's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday. Thus, deaths in China stood at 5,241.
After the initial surprise from the policy of turning back, and weeks in which people in Beijing and Shanghai stay indoors, either facing disease or trying to avoid it, there are signs that life is on track that will return to normal.
Subways in Beijing and Shanghai are packed, while some major traffic arteries in the two cities are jammed, with cars moving slowly on Monday as residents leave for work.
"I am ready to live with the pandemic," said 25-year-old Shanghai resident Lin Zixin.
"Lockdown is not a long-term solution," he continued.
This year, in a bid to prevent uncontrolled infections across the country, 25 million people in Shanghai are undergoing bitter isolation for two months under a strict lockdown that lasted until June 1.
The vibrant streets of Shanghai are in stark contrast to the atmosphere in April and May, when almost no one is seen outside.
The annual Christmas market, which is held in Bundd, a commercial area in Shanghai, is very popular among the city's residents over the weekend.
Crowds packed winter celebrations at Shanghai Disneyland and Beijing's Universal Studios on Sunday, queuing up to ride Christmas-themed clothes.
In addition, the number of trips to beautiful places south of Guangzhou City this weekend increased 132 percent from last weekend, local newspaper The 21st Century Business Herald reported.
"Now basically everyone has returned to normal routines," said a 29-year-old Beijing resident surnamed Han.
"The tense atmosphere has passed," he said.
It is known, China is the latest major country to treat COVID as endemic. Its detention measures have slowed the economy to $17 trillion to its lowest growth rate in nearly half a century, disrupting global supply and trade chains.
The world's second-largest economy is expected to suffer even more in the short term, as the wave of COVID spreads to manufacturing areas and labor falls ill, before bounce back next year, analysts say.
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