China Struggling Amid Fresh COVID-19 Outbreak

China is striving to reduce a fresh outbreak of COVID-19 during the upcoming Lunar New Year travel surge.

The Transportation Ministry on Friday called on travelers to reduce trips and gatherings.

Vice Minister Xu Chengguang also said that people using public transport should wear masks and pay special attention to their health and personal hygiene.

China ended a strict regime of lockdowns, quarantines, and mass testing in December amid growing concerns and public protests.

In December, China’s National Health Commission also scaled down its daily COVID-19 report.

The commission said it stopped publishing daily figures on the numbers of COVID-19 cases where no symptoms are detected.

“It was impossible to accurately grasp the actual number of asymptomatic infected persons, which have generally accounted for the vast majority of new infections.”

China also stopped tracking some travels, potentially reducing the likelihood people will be forced into quarantine for visiting COVID-19 hot spots.