amelioration

Naturally, he didn't question the country's paramount leader directly, or the policy itself, but he didn't sugar coat the impacts of the amelioration measures either.

First, there is some deep-rooted psychological reason why, in all sorts of areas, the perception of a problem's seriousness grows in proportion to its apparent amelioration.

Mr Xi had given the country's Covid amelioration policies his personal stamp of approval and the Party has struggled to explain why such a sudden about-face was necessary.

But to do so also means yelling "stop" to science, enlightenment and the amelioration of human suffering.

Because Covid amelioration still dominates life here, even a small shift in the way it is being administered can cause consternation and panic.