As Cities Ride the Surge, How Rural China Can Brace for Covid Impact

After three years of stringent COVID-19 measures, China began relaxing restrictions on Nov. 30. Most recently, on Dec. 26, the National Health Commission announced that China’s management of the pandemic would be downgraded, and that incoming travellers would no longer be required to quarantine.

In the month since the policy shift, COVID-19 cases have surged across the country. Beijing, Shanghai, and other major cities are already experiencing drug shortages and strained hospital resources as their case numbers peak.

But the greater challenge perhaps lies in China’s vast rural areas, where the elderly account for an increasing percentage of the population, and where medical resources are scarce. This challenge is likely to be compounded as millions of migrants return to their hometowns for the upcoming Spring Festival that begins Jan. 21.

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