Vice-premier urges efforts to curb virus
Sun Chunlan says epidemic situation in Fujian remains unpredictable
The COVID-19 situation in Fujian province is intense, Vice-Premier Sun Chunlan said on Monday, urging all parties to effectively implement prevention and control measures to regain the initiative.
Sun, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks during an inspection tour to the cities of Xiamen, Putian and Quanzhou in Fujian, where the epidemic has resurged.
From Sept 10 to Monday, Fujian reported 405 local confirmed cases, with all of them being hospitalized and no deaths recorded. Three local asymptomatic cases are still under centralized quarantine, and 7,225 close contacts are under medical observation, according to statistics released by the Fujian Provincial Health Commission on Tuesday.
Sun said Fujian has made progress in epidemic prevention and control, but the situation is still unpredictable. She urged the epidemic prevention and control command system to boost the efficiency of nucleic acid testing and ensure no one remains untested.
She asked local authorities to conduct epidemiological investigations to screen affected people. Those who test positive must be reported, and those who need to be quarantined must be quarantined.
Locked down areas should be demarcated scientifically and accurately. Measures for closed management should be strictly implemented while guaranteeing the needs of and services for quarantined people, she said.
In addition, quarantine areas and hospitals should strengthen management to plug loopholes, and special medical forces should be allocated to treat infected patients, she said.
Sun listened to reports by local officials and opinions from medical experts, and visited locations where sporadic outbreaks have occurred to learn about epidemic containment efforts including nucleic acid testing and the treatment of patients.
Noting that many of the infected are children, Sun said they should receive proper treatment that addresses both their physical and psychological needs.
The outbreak has also disrupted daily routines. All colleges and universities in Fujian have suspended offline courses and started online learning, and cities in the province called for residents to celebrate Tuesday’s Mid-Autumn Festival in the city where they live to prevent the spread of the virus.
Cities affected by this round of the epidemic, including Zhangzhou and Quanzhou, asked the staff of local governments, public institutions and State-owned enterprises at all levels to work as usual during the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday to make all-out efforts in epidemic prevention and control.