Just when the world has made progress in understanding and managing Covid-19, with the World Health Organisation (WHO) even hoping it would no longer be a global health emergency by 2023, a spanner has been thrown into these shifting gears.

China, the world’s most populous country and last one standing in holding fast to an indefinite zero-Covid strategy of suppression, announced it would lift several pandemic restrictions two weeks ago. It has since allowed people with mild symptoms to rest at home instead of requiring quarantine at a dedicated facility, reduced public testing and removed QR codes previously needed to enter public places.