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Editors Note: After we've published this article, we have received tips that gives us reason to believe that "Centralized locations for isolation" might not refer to "hotel-based quarantine" as we assumed below. Also in question is if this new policy applies to foreigners. We'll update this as we receive more information. We'd like to apologize if we've raised any false hopes.

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This week, China's National Health Commission — the national level government organ that sets China-wide Covid policy — for diagnosis and treatment of positive Covid cases, their first update since setting the rules back in 2020.

The main development: asymptomatic or patients with mild symptoms will no longer be hospitalized and instead will be sent to centralized locations for isolation. People who are classified as moderate and above will still need to receive standard hospital treatment.

"Centralized locations for isolation" refers to - we believe - quarantine in hotel rooms, so that's a huge improvement over the current status where people were staying in window-less hospital rooms for an uncertain amount of time.

"Centralized locations for isolation" refers to - we believe - quarantine in hotel rooms, so that's a huge improvement over the current status where people were staying in window-less hospital rooms for an uncertain amount of time.

Online commentators are saying that the development obviously comes as an attempt to address the burden on hospitals from rising Covid cases, but is also an acknowledgement that the Omicron strain is less likely to cause serious illness for people who contract it.

So... good news? We'll take it.