Several teams on the Chinese mainland are studying how to improve the country's COVID-19 prevention and control measures, Wu Zunyou, chief epidemiologist at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said at a recent conference in Beijing.

It will be neither the current dynamic zero-COVID policy nor simply "lying down", he said on Tuesday. It will ensure not only that the epidemic on the mainland is under control but also the integration with the international community to maintain normal international exchanges and economic development.

China has been following a "zero-COVID" policy since the outbreak of the epidemic. Meanwhile, more countries are relaxing border restrictions.

The Chinese mainland reported 40 locally transmitted COVID-19 cases on Thursday, the National Health Commission said on Friday. Of the new local infections, 22 were reported in Inner Mongolia, nine in Liaoning, four each in Jiangsu and Guangdong and one in Yunnan.