January 02, 2023: -Covid cases in China saw a spike following the country’s relaxation of strict zero-tolerance rules. They are also increasing the prices of traditional Chinese medicine and lemons as Chinese citizens scramble for protection from the virus.

Prices of fruits, especially in vitamin C and antioxidants, are surging due to higher demand.

This month, one grocery store in Beijing charged 13 yuan for two lemons, which is twice the typical price.

Different locals have taken to social media platforms like Weibo to complain regarding lemon inflation, with one user who says she forked out 12 yuan ($1.72) for three lemons.

“I did not know lemon prices could triple in one day,” another Weibo user posted.

According to a local media statement, lemons were out of stock in Chengdu on the e-commerce platform Dingdong Maasai.

Canned peaches notice a swell in demand. Fresh Hippo, another e-commerce merchant owned by Alibaba, stated that week-on-week sales of canned yellow peaches popped by almost 900%.

Shares of Chinese pharmaceutical firms involved in the production of traditional Chinese medicine notched their surged levels a year earlier this month, which followed a spike in Covid caseloads and endorsements by officials for the herbal remedies.

Shijiazhuang Yiling Pharmaceutical, producing the popular herbal treatment Lianhua Qingwen, increased 184% in early December from a year earlier.

China Resources Sanjiu Medical & Pharmaceutical saw a more than 142% spike in November compared to last year.

In December, the president of the Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicines, Liu Qingquan, stated that in December, traditional Chinese medicine, if taken with Western remedies, “has a perfect effect” on stimulating gastrointestinal functions and treating fever and other symptoms linked to the Omicron strain.

In the previous few weeks, local and central administration authorities in China U-turned from their draconian zero-Covid measures had required people to stay home and many businesses to operate mainly remotely.

On Monday, China announced that inbound travellers no longer need to quarantine upon arrival on the mainland starting in the coming year.