Better to err on the side of caution: China Daily editorial

Confining the infections from a highly contagious variant of the novel coronavirus within a small area in a city with a population of about 18 million is no easy task by any yardstick, but that is exactly what Guangzhou has done since May 21.

Although the number of infections in the capital of Guangdong province in the latest outbreak was only 146, including 7 asymptomatic cases, by Sunday, the authorities formed an investigation team to oversee the prevention and control work of the Guangzhou city government. The team has been authorized to determine if there has been any dereliction of duty in the anti-pandemic work, and bring those responsible for acts of commission and omission to book.

Such an investigation is necessary because it is always advisable to err on the side of caution as far as pandemic prevention and control work is concerned. So, despite the decline in the number of confirmed cases, Guangdong, its capital city in particular, has no reason to let its guard down, for that could result in a relapse of the epidemic, as has been the case in many parts of the world.

Thanks to the most stringent prevention and control measures governments at various levels, especially those at the grassroots levels, have carried out, China has largely managed to control the spread of the virus, which in turn enabled it to resume near normal economic activity and become the only large economy to achieve positive growth last year.

The Guangzhou city government, too, needs to be commended for preventing the latest round of infections from spreading to other cities and provinces. Having said that, Guangdong, more so Guangzhou, must continue with the stringent measures to screen and identify new cases, if any, to cut the chains of transmission and prevent the further spread of the virus.

The investigation is just meant to ensure the city government continues the strict measures, in order to plug all the possible loopholes so that the virus can be brought under total control at the earliest.

What Guangzhou has done should remind the rest of the country that prevention and control measures should not be slackened even though most parts of the country have not reported any new cases for months. And customs and ports officials who handle cargo should be particularly alert to prevent cross-border coronavirus transmission through imported goods.

With the rapidly rising rate of vaccination and stringent preventive measures at all levels, it is hoped China will be able to keep the country safe from the virus.