China will suspend testing of some imported commodities for COVID-19, according to the country’s national health commission, as Beijing tries to reconcile its demand for zero-COVID with concerns about economic decline.

China, the final big country to promise to eradicate the virus’s internal transmission, has swabbed and disinfected international cargo since 2020 and has frequently blamed imports for recurrent outbreaks.

Previously, import limitations had caused a backlog for some crops, causing hundreds of tons of tropical fruit to sit at the border with Vietnam as drivers waited to be let into China.

Non-refrigerated products, such as coal, mineral ore, consumables, and animal feed, can now enter China without being swabbed for COVID-19, according to the National Health Commission (NHC). Certain “high-risk” items must still be disinfected.

According to the NHC, the decision was made to, “ensure the stability of the industrial and supply chains” and noted that “under room temperature conditions the novel coronavirus can only survive for a short time on the surface of most objects”.

Refrigerated and frozen imports will be examined in accordance with existing regulations.

Although there is minimal evidence that coronavirus carried on things such as cold-chain products may infect humans, the CDC in the United States recommends sanitizing surfaces regularly handled by COVID patients.

Despite rising public weariness and economic loss, China maintains its zero-COVID policy, crushing new outbreaks with emergency lockdowns, forced quarantines, and onerous travel restrictions.

However, the plan has stifled progress, with the country’s largest metropolis, Shanghai, closed for two months due to a viral comeback, causing supply lines to snarl and companies to close, while dozens of others have dealt with tightening laws to combat local outbreaks.