China faces bumpy road to normal as infections surge

After three years of quarantines pushed them close to shutting down, restaurant owner Li Meng and his wife are hoping for business to rebound after China rolled back severe anti-virus controls.

As sales slowly revive, they face a new challenge: Diners are wary about the country’s wave of infections. On Wednesday night at 8 p.m., only three of their 20 tables were filled.

China is on a bumpy road back to normal life as people return to schools, shopping malls and restaurants following the abrupt end of some of the world’s most severe restrictions even as hospitals are swamped with feverish, wheezing COVID-19 patients.

“Many are still watching because they are afraid of being infected,” Li said. “Dining out can be put off for now.”

The ruling Communist Party began to drop testing, quarantine and other restrictions in November as it tries to reverse a deepening economic slump.

The “zero COVID” strategy confined millions of families to their homes for weeks at a time, shut down most travel into and out of China, and emptied bustling streets in major cities. That kept its infection rate low but crushed economic growth and fueled protests.

“People are going back to work, and I’ve seen children in the malls,” said Yang Mingyue, a 28-year-old Beijing resident. “Everything is back to normal. It’s really pleasant.”