China has eased some of its strict Covid rules in an apparent attempt to alleviate economic pressures and cool escalating discontent, though authorities insist their “war” against the pandemic remains unchanged. The changes include shortening quarantine periods by two days for close contacts of infected people and for travellers arriving in the country, as well as scrapping a rule that penalises airlines for bringing in too many cases. The move came a day after President Xi Jinping and the country’s top decision-makers in the Communist party’s politburo standing committee heard a work report on Covid measures. The announcement made by…