Sure, here's a revised version of the content:
BEIJING (AP) — Zhang Yongzhen, the scientist credited with publishing the first sequence of the COVID-19 virus in China, has been reinstated in his lab after staging a protest. Zhang was locked out of his lab for several days before the medical center hosting his research tentatively agreed to allow him and his team to resume their work.
In an online post on the Chinese social media platform Weibo, Zhang announced that his team now has unrestricted access to the laboratory. He is currently negotiating a plan to relocate the lab without disrupting their collaboration with the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center.
The protest began after Zhang and his team were abruptly asked to vacate their lab and were subsequently locked out. Zhang sat outside the facility on flattened cardboard in the rain, while his team displayed a banner that read “Resume normal scientific research work,” images of which circulated widely on Chinese social media platforms, prompting a response from local authorities.
The Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center stated that Zhang’s lab was closed for renovation and safety reasons, and they provided his team with an alternative laboratory space. However, Zhang claimed that they were only offered an alternative location after they were evicted, and that the new lab did not meet the necessary safety standards for their research.
Zhang's conflict with his host institution is the latest in a series of challenges he has faced since publishing the virus sequence without state approval in January 2020. The Chinese government has been keen on controlling information related to the virus since its outbreak, resulting in the closure of labs, termination of collaborations, and restrictions on Chinese researchers.
Despite being the first to decode the virus on January 5, 2020, Zhang did not make the sequence public until January 11, 2020, due to pressure from Chinese authorities. This decision led to his removal from a position at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention and restrictions on his collaborations.
However, Zhang has received support from some government quarters. His protest was widely covered in China’s state-controlled media, indicating a divergence of opinions within the Chinese government regarding how to handle Zhang and his team.