<span style="color: #222222;">In a rare and bold show of public protest just days ahead of China's 20th party congress, photos and video of two large protest banners circulated on social media in capital Beijing on Thursday which were displayed on an over bridge in the north-western Haidian district, calling for an end to the policy. "No Covid test, we want food to eat. No restrictions, we want freedom. No lies, we want dignity. No Cultural Revolution, we want reform. No leaders, we want votes. Not slaves, want to be citizens," one of the banners read. Authorities quickly removed the banners and increased the police presence in the area. Pictures went viral on Chinese social media before censors could remove. No information is available about the banner protestor who also played a voice recording of the protest slogans on loudspeaker, according to the video on the social media. No official statement has been made so far on the incident.<br />''<br />''Public protests of political nature are rare in China but this year protests have been seen for covid lockdowns reflecting the fatigue. Public had expected a shift away from stringent Covid-19 measures after 20th party congress which begins on Sunday (Oct 16) when Chinese President Xi Jinping is widely expected to secure a precedent-breaking third term with state media touting zero COVID policy as his legacy.</span> <br />''However, Communist Party mouthpiece, the People's Daily, dashed the hopes as it strongly defended the policy, publishing, starting from Monday, three commentaries supporting the policy in three consecutive editions, and slamming those advocating a loosening of the policy. "We will firmly adhere to the dynamic zero-COVID policy as it has proven scientific and effective," said Wu Zunyou, chief epidemiologist with the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, at a press conference on Thursday. Liang Wannian, head of an expert panel on the Covid-19 response also said on state TV on Wednesday that China has no timeline for an exit from its zero-Covid strategy, damping down hopes of relief even after the "Two Sessions" ' the next important annual political conferences in March 2023.<br />'' <br />''In the run up to the party congress, authorities have super tightened the security across the city, shutting out many travelers and returning residents. In a bid to control small Covid outbreaks in Beijing, city authorities are enforcing much stricter measures than most other parts of China. China is currently dealing with among its biggest spread of cases due to two highly transmissible variants, since the early days of the pandemic. After initial success, China's "dynamic" zero-Covid policy to remove every chain of infection has been unable to stamp out the stealthier and more transmissible Omicron variants. Experts said, the policy has become more political as President Xi Jinping has staked a huge political capital in it.<br />'' <br />''Even though Omicron cases are more likely to be asymptomatic and have less severe clinical outcomes, on a population-wide level the variant would cause more absolute deaths if control measures were loosened, Liang said. China also needs to develop better tools to fight the virus, including vaccines and treatments, Liang said. While the vaccines worked well in preventing deaths, they were less effective at preventing infections. China also lacks effective treatments, especially oral pills that can be taken at home, he said. Less vaccination percentage among the elderly population is a major challenge in China which makes them more vulnerable to infections.<br />''<br />''Liang said a reopening of society without these criteria would lead to "a considerable amount of the population" becoming infected over a short time frame, leading to large numbers of severe cases and deaths. This would put a strain on medical resources, making it harder to treat other conditions and creating further severe illness and deaths unrelated to Covid-19, he said. "This is our biggest concern. Right now, we don't have a braking mechanism, and it's very difficult to get it under control again if something happens after we reopen."<br />''<br />''<span style="color: #222222;">Frustration with the zero covid has been setting in among the common man as well as the business community- both local and foreigners as it disrupted both life and economy as the rest of the world started living with the virus. The latest World Bank forecast put China's GDP growth for this year at 2.8 per cent, well below the rest of Asia.</span><br />