China is open for business, but COVID concerns still keep many home

China’s economic revitalization largely hinges on whether the government, which has long touted the dangers of COVID-19, can meet the test of a mass outbreak and assuage public anxieties as controls lift and cases rise.

As a sandstorm and frigid winds swept Beijing this week, parents bundling infants in blankets and leading small children by the hand lined up outside a fever clinic. Down the block, other lines formed outside pharmacies, where people made quick purchases and hurried away, gripping bags of herbal medicine.

Scenes like this are playing out...