The Chinese government has eased quarantine and other anti-coronavirus steps following protests against its strict "zero COVID" policy. Beijing says the easing is aimed at further optimizing its response to the pandemic.

The government said on Wednesday it will no longer transfer all infected people to hospitals or quarantine facilities. Officials say people with no or mild symptoms can isolate themselves at home for seven days, in principle.

The officials say they are switching from PCR to antigen testing, except in places such as elderly care homes, medical institutions and schools.

They say people no longer need to show negative test results to cross provincial borders.

The officials have instructed operators of housing complexes to secure evacuation routes and take thorough safety measures when closing them off if infections are confirmed.

This request is apparently in response to a fatal apartment building fire in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region last month. Over the incident, there is a claim that evacuation routes had been sealed as an anti-infection measure, delaying the rescue operation. This triggered protests against the "zero COVID" policy in major cities.

Some people are expressing concern that eased restrictions could lead to a further spread of infections.