Medical worker Yan Xu collects swab samples for nucleic acid testing in the Chaoyang district of Beijing, May 8, 2022. PHOTO XINHUA Despite the authorities having conducted several rounds of mass nucleic acid testing, suspending most face-to- face business operations citywide and forcing people to work from home, around a month into the latest wave of the novel coronavirus in Beijing and the epidemic situation in the city shows no signs of easing.
The total number of cases in the capital has risen to 1,534 since April 22, according to the Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control.
The prevention and control measures have kept the daily rate of infections at a low level, even though the outbreak in Beijing has not yet been fully contained. There are still cluster outbreaks and sporadic cases in communities that need to be plugged, as the lack of improvement in the situation raises the question of whether there are any loopholes in the city's anti-pandemic regime.
The Omicron variant of the virus is contagious, which is why the virus control measures in Beijing are strict. Only by containing its spread can a spike in COVID 19 infections be avoided, and a resumption of work and production be achieved at an early date, and costs to the economy and people's livelihoods be minimized.
At this critical moment, everyone must realize the responsibility that they shoulder and play by faithfully following all government prevention and control protocols.
It is disappointing that a medical testing lab named Pushi recently reported to have provided test result data that was obviously lower than the number of tested samples. Six people have been arrested by the police in relation to the case.
At least four employees at a branch of the China Railway 11th Bureau Group are under criminal investigation for deliberately concealing the travel histories of some colleagues and illegally altering their health code status to allow them to travel among different districts. 20 of the 25 people involved were confirmed to be positive, forcing 21 venues to be placed under restrictions and more than 900 people to be quarantined.
The prevention and control work of officials must be scientific and try to help affected enterprises, and ensure daily necessities to residents, so that they are willing to comply with all restrictive measures. Unscientific restrictions must be avoided because they do a disservice to the anti-pandemic work.
Experts believe that the capital will be able to get the situation under control with strict crackdowns on such deception and concealment and strict adherence to the prevention and control measures.