logo
episode-header-image
Jan 2023
23m 42s

China’s Abrupt Reversal of ‘Zero Covid’

The New York Times
About this episode

For nearly three years, China had one of the lowest coronavirus death rates in the world, thanks to its strict yet effective “zero Covid” approach.

But last month, the government suddenly abandoned the policy. Since then, there have been millions of coronavirus cases across the country.

Guest: Alexandra Stevenson, the Shanghai bureau chief for The New York Times.

Background reading: 

For more information on today’s episode, visit 

nytimes.com/thedaily

. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

Up next
Jul 9
Trump’s Top Aides Spread the Epstein Conspiracy. Now They Are Trying to Kill It.
For months, President Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi suggested that they would expose the hidden, potentially sinister truth about Jeffrey Epstein’s death in 2019.But over the past few days, the Trump administrationWhite House decided to shut down has poured cold water on t ... Show More
21m 47s
Jul 8
A Love Letter to Camp Mystic
On Monday evening, the death toll from the flooding in Central Texas rose past 100. A single place accounted for 27 of those deaths: Camp Mystic, a century-old Christian summer camp for girls.Erin Paisan, who attended Camp Mystic, explains what the place meant to generations of g ... Show More
25m 9s
Jul 7
A Dark Moment for Journalism — and Devastation in Texas
Last week, when Paramount, the parent company of CBS News, announced a $16 million settlement with President Trump over editing of a segment of “60 Minutes,” many of the network’s journalists were furious.The deal also raised questions about the independence of CBS’s journalism, ... Show More
34m 15s
Recommended Episodes
Jan 2023
Covid whiplash in China
It came as a complete surprise. Last month, the Chinese government dropped most of its “zero covid” restrictions. Today on Post Reports, we find out what’s behind the shift and a massive covid outbreak that has since swept the country. Since the start of the pandemic, China has k ... Show More
22m 49s
Jan 2023
China’s deadly coronavirus wave
Having spent much of the last three years with some of the world’s most strict Covid restrictions, China’s relaxing of its rules has coincided with a massive wave of infections just as the country prepares to celebrate the lunar new year. Tania Branigan reports. Help support our ... Show More
24m 56s
Jan 2021
Three Days That Stopped The World
In late January 2020, two Chinese journalists got an assignment that would change their lives. They were sent to Wuhan to investigate the mysterious outbreak of a new strain of the coronavirus. What they witnessed as the city of 11 million people locked down is censored by the Ch ... Show More
25m 43s
Jan 2023
The World Ahead 2023: China's challenges
As president Xi Jinping begins his third five-year term, China’s path forward is uncertain. Covid-19 is tearing through the country after it relaxed its strict “zero-covid” policies. China also faces slowing economic growth and rising geopolitical tensions with America. Are China ... Show More
26m 31s
Jan 2023
Drum Tower: The new wave
Since the zero-covid policy was scrapped, the virus has spread across China at a blistering pace. The medical system and crematoria are overwhelmed, but official data on infections and deaths is hazy. With so little transparency, is it possible to discover the true scale of the c ... Show More
34m 33s
Jan 2022
China's Zero-Covid Dilemma
As coronavirus restrictions begin to ease around the world, China is sticking with its Zero-Covid policy. But questions have been raised about how sustainable the strategy is, and how much longer China can keep the virus out. Ros Atkins looks at the dilemma this has created for t ... Show More
9m 58s
Jun 2021
The legacy of China’s one-child policy
China has recently changed its two-child policy and is now allowing families to have up to three children legally. It's a move aimed to combat the country's plunging birth rate, but what does this major shift in policy mean for China? This episode describes the loss of a child. S ... Show More
34m 30s
Jul 2020
Trump on coronavirus crisis: “Cases remain low and very stable”
President Trump held another coronavirus briefing without the nation’s top doctors. He declared “cases remain low and very stable” as the U.S. nears 4 million cases and deaths have topped 142,000 people. California was one of the first states to shut down and seemed to have the v ... Show More
41m 57s
Jan 2020
Can China stop a killer virus spreading?
A mysterious new virus has emerged from the Chinese city of Wuhan and is rapidly being identified in patients across the globe. Signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. Hundreds have been infected and some deat ... Show More
47m 10s