BEIJING – Just two days after China abruptly and unexpectedly surrendered its stranglehold on Covid-19, practically everyone at the China bureau fell sick at the same time, as we, too, got swept up in this aggressive viral wave that has quickly enveloped the capital city.

We hadn’t passed the virus to each other, but caught it separately since we had been working from home for weeks to reduce our exposure. I am assuming that I got it while checking out long lines at a fever clinic at a hospital and various pharmacies, as did a colleague.