PHOTOS | China eases rules but maintains 'zero-COVID' strategy amid fresh cases, anti-govt protests

The protests against COVID-19 lockdowns have spread to Beijing even as China reported close to 40,000 coronavirus cases on Monday as authorities scrambled to contain the fresh surge in infections.

The protests against COVID-19 lockdowns have spread to Beijing even as China reported close to 40,000 coronavirus cases on Monday as authorities scrambled to contain the fresh surge in infections. (Photo | AP) 

For the fifth consecutive day, China reported close to 4,000 cases in the capital city of Beijing. (Photo | AP)

China's National Health Commission said 39,452 new cases were reported on Monday, including 36,304 local asymptomatic cases. (Photo | AP)

The protests which broke out in the eastern metropolis of Shanghai during the weekend, have spread to Beijing where hundreds of people converged on Sunday evening near Liangmahe river in the central city. (Photo | AP)

Crowds carrying lighted candles in memory of those killed in the fire at an apartment block reported under COVID-19 lockdown in Urumqi in Xinjiang shouted slogans against the arbitrary lockdowns by the government to curb the spread of the virus and in solidarity with the weekend protests in Shanghai. The protests have been fuelled by social media which is heavily censored, the government has been striving to put a halt to the spread of content regarding the protests which may cause more civilians to join the streets in solidarity. (Photo | AP)

Protesters in Shanghai on Saturday and Sunday called on Chinese President Xi Jinping and the ruling Communist Party to step down besides opposing the lockdowns and forcible evictions of people into coronavirus medical shelters. Large crowds gathered Sunday in the capital Beijing and Shanghai, where police clashed with protesters as they tried to stop groups from converging at Wulumuqi street. (Photo | AP)

Authorities eased anti-virus rules in scattered areas but affirmed China's severe 'zero-COVID' strategy Monday after crowds demanded President Xi Jinping resign during protests against controls that confine millions of people to their homes. (Photo | AP)

The city government of Beijing announced it would no longer set up gates to block access to apartment compounds where infections are found. The current protests flared up after a fire broke out Thursday and killed at least 10 people in an apartment building in the city of Urumqi in the northwest, where some have been locked in their homes for four months. That prompted an outpouring of angry questions online about whether firefighters or people trying to escape were blocked by locked doors or other restrictions. (Photo | AP)

The ruling party promised last month to reduce the disruption of 'zero COVID' by changing quarantine and other rules. But public acceptance is wearing thin after a spike in infections prompted cities to tighten controls, fueling complaints overzealous enforcement is hurting the public. (Photo | AP)

Student protests also broke out at the prestigious Tsinghua University in Beijing and Communication University in Nanjing. Photos and videos posted online showed students holding vigils for the Urumqi fire victims and launching protests at universities in Beijing and Nanjing. Protests also occurred on Sunday in Wuhan, the central city where Covid-19 first emerged, while there were reports of demonstrations in Guangzhou, Chengdu and Hong Kong. (Photo | AP)

According to the latest estimates about 412 million people were affected by lockdown measures in China, up from 340 million the week before, according to the Japanese brokerage firm Nomura. (Photo | AP)

A woman hugs a man during a protest in Beijing during the early hours of Monday. (Photo | AP)

Workers wearing face masks preparing their customer's online order groceries outside a supermarket in Beijing. (Photo | AP)

A worker in protective gear sanitizes his gloves outside a locked-down neighborhood as part of COVID-19 controls in Beijing. (Photo | AP)