China faces bumpy road to normalcy as cases surge

Beijing: After three years of quarantines pushed them close to shutting down, restaurant owner Li Meng and his wife are hoping for business to rebound after China rolled back severe anti-virus controls.

As sales slowly revive, they face a new challenge: Diners are wary about the country's wave of infections. On Wednesday night at 8 p.m., only three of their 20 tables were filled.

China is on a bumpy road back to normal life as people return to schools, shopping malls and restaurants following the abrupt end of some of the world's most severe restrictions even as hospitals are swamped with feverish, wheezing COVID-19 patients.

"Many are still watching because they are afraid of being infected," Li

said.