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By Brenda Goh
SHANGHAI, April 6 (Reuters) - Guardians of children with special needs who are infected with COVID can apply to escort them, a Shanghai city official said on Wednesday, pointing to a relaxation of a child-separation policy that has triggered widespread public anger.
The city has been separating COVID-positive children from their parents, citing epidemic prevention measures. China's elimination strategy against COVID sees it test, trace and centrally quarantine all cases.
In the face of rising public criticism, the government said on Monday it would allow children to be accompanied by their parents if the parents were also infected, but that they would still separate them if they were not. This prompted further public anger.
On Wednesday, when asked at a news conference, Shanghai health official Wu Ganyu said the government would start allowing guardians of some infected children with special needs to accompany them.
However, they must sign a letter stating that they are aware of the risks and will be required to comply with protection measures such masks and not sharing household items with the children, he added.
Authorities will deploy more specialized medical staff to handle the admission of such children and will establish special areas for them to stay in to improve care, he said.
(Reporting by Brenda Goh; Editing by Christopher Cushing and Gerry Doyle)