China says it will take the strongest measures to combat the epidemic

Ma Xiaowei, Chairman of the National Health Commission Chinacalling on all people to obey policy “zero-Covid” and firmly opposes the “wrong” ideas of “living with the virus,” according to a front-page commentary. Studying Times April 18.

The crux of the matter is to prevent a resurgence of infections and consolidate hard-won results in the fight against the epidemic, to celebrate the 20th national congress of the Communist Party of China. The five-yearly congress is scheduled to take place in November and is this year’s most important political event in China.

Ma Xiaowei, Chairman of the National Health Commission of China. screenshot scmp

Mr. Ma’s article, published in the newspaper of China’s Central Party School, comes amid concerns about whether Beijing’s tough “zero-Covid” policy is still appropriate to deal with the mutate the virus that is contagious but causes milder illness such as Omicron.

The reaction of the Chinese people to the “zero-Covid” policy has become more acute after the outbreak in China. Shanghai in early March. The city of 25 million people, the financial hub of China as well as the world, went into strict lockdown in an effort to control the spread of the virus.

Ma said it would be a mistake to think that Covid-19 is “just like the flu” and “we should live with Covid”, despite the fact that many other countries have decided to adjust the anti-epidemic after mutating. Omicron appeared.

“The important test is still going on. Don’t neglect it even for a moment,” he wrote. “Any move to loosen or reduce regulation, any formalism or bureaucracy, any loophole as small as the needle, will lead to an outbreak of disease, which means having to pay tens or even hundreds of times more”.

According to him, China’s huge population, disparity in development and lack of medical resources can cause the health system to collapse, thereby seriously threatening. health of people with underlying medical conditions, the elderly, children and pregnant women.

“The economy is stable and social development will be affected. People will disagree, and the party and government will never allow this to happen,” the leader of China’s health industry stressed. . “We are far from being able to breathe a sigh of relief and rest.”