‘ Phased victory’ over new cases
Infection risks remain for Spring Festival crowds
For the first time in nearly two months, the Chinese mainland reported zero new domestic COVID- 19 cases in daily reports on Sunday since the latest outbreaks. Chinese health experts declared phased victory in this round of the battle against coronavirus but warned that infection risks remain during the Spring Festival holidays.
The phased victory is good news for the upcoming Spring Festival, but the guard must not be lowered, especially in previously virus- stricken places, which need more time to announce virus- free, observers said.
The Chinese mainland reported no new domestic cases on Sunday, according to the National Health Commission on Monday, 53 days after latest round of outbreaks. No new deaths or suspected domestic cases were reported, either.
One asymptomatic case was found in Dongyang, East China’s Zhejiang Province, and all close contacts have been put under quarantine and tested negative for COVID- 19.
Gaocheng district in Hebei capital Shijiazhuang was downgraded to medium- risk on Monday. Highways and railways in the city resumed operations, and people from low- risk areas are allowed to commute through Shijiazhuang with a green health code meaning they were not exposed in high- risk regions.
Zhejiang Province also announced on Monday to allow local residents to return to their hometowns within the province, only with the provision of green health codes, removing previous requirements of negative test results or daily health monitoring.
Netizens cheered the relaxation and some wondered if it means people can enjoy the Spring Festival more freely, with observers noting it as a sign of a phased victory.
Wang Guangfa, a respiratory expert at Peking University First Hospital, told the Global Times that this is not the time to lower the guard as multiple places in China are yet to prove virus- free. It normally takes twice the length of an incubation period to see whether there are unidentified infections as silent cases may take longer to develop symptoms, Wang explained.
Wang reminded people to protect themselves during the Chinese New Year, which may involve shopping in crowds and handling cold- chain products.
The silent carrier found in Zhejiang is also a reminder that infection risks are always there and society must try hard to close infection loopholes during the Spring Festival holidays, health experts noted.
The silent carrier was not found among people under quarantine, meaning if such a person was not identified timely and walked around freely during the holidays, it would be a great threat to epidemic control, they said.
The silent carrier found in Zhejiang is also a reminder that infection risks are always there amid the Spring Festival holidays.