Amy Cheng

As restrictions are relaxed in parts of China where the coronavirus struck, residents in Beijing are cautiously returning to the public spaces they love.

The 83-year-old, weightlifting pulmonologist is widely seen as a source of reliable information — although one recent comment seems to have been politicized by the government.

NPR interviewed four residents of Wuhan who contracted the virus, recovered — but then had a retest that turned positive. What does that mean for China's recovery from COVID-19?

Li Wenliang's warnings about the virus initially got him reprimanded by authorities in Wuhan. Now, six weeks after he died of COVID-19, Chinese investigators say they should have acted differently.

China makes millions of masks. But ramping up production is tricky. "Making masks is not as easy as you imagine," a pharmaceutical executive in China says.

Strict quarantine measures have prevented 300 million migrant workers from returning to work. Now local authorities are trying to get businesses going again. The main bottleneck: a shrunken workforce.

Residents say their relatives have been unable to get care for cancer, for childhood diseases and more as Wuhan and other cities put a priority on treating COVID-19 patients.

No one can say whether the tough measures will help defeat coronavirus, But they've definitely changed daily life — and raised concerns.

Some factories are beginning to reopen, but labor shortages continue. In a recent poll of U.S. companies by Shanghai's American Chamber of Commerce, 78% said they lack staff to resume full production.

They charge that news of a new pneumonialike illlness was kept from the public for weeks — and that social media accounts are being shut down if certain types of comments are made.