AMN/ WEB DESK
The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Wednesday parried a question on visas for family members of Indians working in China. China has recently allowed visa applications for the family members of qualified foreign workers from the US and Australia working in Beijing and other Chinese cities. On a question to extend the provision to the families of Indians working in China, foreign ministry spokesperson said it will timely adjust the relevant policies in view of COVID-19 pandemic.
Meanwhile, China’s top respiratory expert Zhong Nanshan has said the country will not give up its zero-tolerance towards Covid-19 policy any time soon, effectively indicating that Beijing will continue to keep its international borders closed or heavily controlled for the foreseeable future. Zhong Nanshan, who formulated China’s anti-Covid policy early last year backed Zero COVID-19 policy and said the policy has helped put down local outbreaks and it is less costly than living with Covid-19 or reintroducing restrictions each time outbreaks recur. However, experts say the policy is giving diminishing returns as the pandemic has prolonged and people are fatigued with repeated virus curbs.
In a major outbreak in July-August, China counted a total of over 1,200 local infections. The ongoing outbreak is mostly concentrated in northern China. The country has now recorded 631 cases across 17 provincial areas since October 17. China’s National Health Commission said on Wednesday that 93 locally transmitted COVID-19 cases and 16 new imported cases were reported on Tuesday, the highest in a single day in recent weeks. Nine cases were reported in capital Beijing, which has already imposed several curbs restricting the travel of the city residents to other parts of the country.