Last month, China ended its zero-Covid policy, bringing a tumultuous end to restrictions after nearly three years. The suddenness of the move surprised nearly everyone. The process could have been much more gradual, with a slower shift from mass forced lockdowns to more flexible policies. Instead, it has effectively thrown caution to the wind.
As a result, China is now having one of the worst outbreaks since the start of the pandemic. Millions of people have been infected in the space of just a few weeks, and many experts now expect the death toll to exceed 1 million. Chinese social media are being flooded with harrowing accounts of personal loss and images of overwhelmed hospitals.
The situation is reminiscent of what many other countries experienced in the first weeks of the pandemic. But, unlike in most developed economies, key features of China's social and economic structure make it difficult for ordinary households to grapple with the virus.
