Alarm in Beijing after announcement zero-Covid policy may last five years

Communist party official posts notice saying mass mandatory testing and travel curbs will continue

Authorities in Beijing have sparked confusion and alarm after announcing the strict zero-Covid policy could be in place for the next five years, including mass mandatory testing and travel restrictions.

The notice, published on Monday afternoon, was attributed to Cai Qi, the Beijing secretary of the Chinese Communist party. The original text said: In the next five years, Beijing will unremittingly grasp the normalisation of epidemic prevention and control."