East China’s Jiangsu province will take more stringent epidemic prevention and control measures amid higher risks of COVID-19 contagion during this winter-spring period, especially the upcoming Spring Festival holiday.
Strengthening infectious disease prevention and treatment concerns the safety and health of the general public, as well as national security and social stability, according to a statement released after the teleconference.
In order to provide a more solid legal foundation for infectious disease prevention and treatment, prompt efforts should be carried out to improve relevant laws, while adhering to the principle of "people first, life first" and combining the experiences in combating COVID-19, the statement said.
Early detection, reporting, quarantine and treatment of infectors should be strictly carried out, and the system for monitoring, warning, reporting and information disclosure should be improved, according to the statement.
Classification of infectious diseases, emergency measures and the epidemic treatment system should be improved as well, said the statement.
Efforts will be made to stagger travels and encourage online shopping during the holiday, and the winter vacation schedule and commencement of the spring semester for schools will be arranged carefully, according to the statement.
The authorities have called on people not to return to their hometowns to celebrate the Spring Festival, but stay where they live and work during the holiday to reduce personnel flow, said the statement.
The approaching Spring Festival holiday will see more returnees from overseas, gatherings, and imports of cold-chain food and cargo, which will bring more challenges to epidemic prevention and control efforts.
The Spring Festival, or the Chinese Lunar New Year, falls on Feb 12 this year.
To curb the epidemic in this winter-spring period, China will expand nucleic acid testing to a larger scale and increase regular testing frequency, according to the statement.
Greater efforts will be made in checks and control over illegal entries into the country, as well as guarding against cross-infection at medical institutions, the statement added.
Epidemic prevention and control measures against gathering, including banquets, parties, and meetings, as well as visits to scenic spots, will also be beefed up, said the statement.
The teleconference also stressed the necessity of taking self-protection measures, such as washing hands, wearing masks, and social distancing.
The Chinese mainland on Wednesday reported 138 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases, of whom 124 were locally transmitted and the rest arrived from outside the mainland, the National Health Commission said Thursday.
Of the locally transmitted cases, 81 were reported in North China's Hebei province and 43 in Northeast China's Heilongjiang province, the commission said in its daily report.
One death related to the disease was reported in Hebei on Wednesday, with no new suspected cases reported.
The Chinese mainland reported 14 new imported COVID-19 cases Wednesday, bringing the total number of imported cases to 4,465.
Eight new imported cases were reported in Shanghai, three in Guangdong, and one each in Beijing, Henan and Guangxi, the National Health Commission said in its daily report Thursday.
Among all the imported cases, 4,181 had been discharged from hospitals after recovery while 284 remained hospitalized, the commission said.
