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After nearly three years of attempting to stamp out the virus, the sudden end of mass testing and quarantines has led to a corresponding drop in officially reported infections, which hit an all-time high only last month.With testing no longer required for much of the country, China's National Health Commission on Wednesday admitted its numbers no longer reflected reality."Many asymptomatic people are no longer participating in nucleic acid testing, so it is impossible to accurately grasp the actual number of asymptomatic infected people," the NHC said in a statement. The statement comes after Vice Premier Sun Chunlan said the capital's new infections were "rapidly growing", according to state media.Chinese leaders are determined to press ahead with opening up, with Beijing's tourism authority saying Tuesday that it would resume tour groups in and out of the capital.But the country is facing a surge in cases that experts fear it is ill-equipped to manage,...

Authorities in China's southern city of Shenzhen shut the world's largest electronics market of Huaqiangbei and suspended service at 24 subway stations on Monday in a bid to curb an outbreak of COVID-19.Three key buildings in the sprawling area, comprised of thousands of stalls selling microchips, telephone parts, and other components to manufacturers, will stay closed until Sept 2.Local community officials confirmed Monday's closure to Reuters, while three people working there said building managers had told them to work from home.COVID-19 testing has become a feature of daily life in the city, with most public spaces and offices needing proof of a test within 48 hours for entry, or within 24 hours in areas deemed high risk.While the city has avoided a blanket closures since a week-long lockdown in March, residents of individual compounds have undergone week-long quarantines when positive cases have been detected. This lockdown has been implemented under 'Zero Kovid...