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and no doubt already burning up in your WeChat Moments, today on December 7, the State Council Joint Prevention and Control Bureau outlined more radical changes to national COVID prevention policy. To wit: Asymptomatic and light cases shall be generally allowed to isolate at home, with the voluntary option of going to centralized isolation.

Whoa. Nice dunk!

It goes on to state that on the 6th and 7th day, the subject undertakes test to determine if the isolation can be discontinued.

The announcement further stipulates that close contact cases will undergo 5 days of home isolation, with a negative test at the end of that signaling release.

BUT WAIT THAT'S NOT ALL.

Another big take-away from today's announcement: Due to their proximity to at-risk groups, only the following categories will require health code checks: nursing homes, welfare homes, medical institutions, kindergartens, primary and secondary schools and other special places.

So... what's not on this list? Restaurants? Shops? Bars? KTVs? ESCAPE ROOMS!

Is this happening? Is this really happening?

Yet another big take-away: people traveling cross-regionally don't need to have their health code's checked. And people arriving from other cities don't need to get a test. This means: no more travel restrictions unless "high risk" areas are involved.

So... Does this mean we can get trains out of town and not have to fuss about with the codes? What about that five-day rule thing on coming back to Shanghai?

As has been the case with all of these "easing" announcements, we're left with questions. But, hey, we're cautiously optimistic. We're hearing some lovely things.

Let's see how if goes when said policy changes get interpreted and implemented in the coming days and weeks.