Xi chairs leadership meeting on regular epidemic control, work resumption

Firefighters prepare to conduct disinfection at the Wuhan Tianhe International Airport in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, April 3, 2020. (Xinhua/Cheng Min)

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on Wednesday chaired a leadership meeting to make new arrangements on implementing regular epidemic prevention and control measures and fully advancing work resumption.

The meeting of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee analyzed the COVID-19 situation and economic performance at home and abroad.

As the pandemic continues its global spread, the world economy faces mounting downside risk, Xi said, adding that unstable and uncertain factors are notably increasing.

Noting that China is under rising pressure of guarding against imported COVID-19 cases, Xi said new difficulties and challenges have emerged for China's work resumption and economic and social development.

Xi called for preparedness in mind and work to cope with prolonged external environment changes.

Xi urged unremitting efforts in guarding against imported cases from abroad and preventing a resurgence of the outbreak at home and demanded redoubling efforts in economic and social development.

He urged efforts to minimize losses caused by COVID-19.

Xi stressed paying close attention to the changes in the epidemic situation at home and abroad, calling for a prompt response that is more targeted and effective.

Medical workers wheel a patient to the Zhongfaxincheng campus of Tongji Hospital affiliated to Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, central China, March 29, 2020. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)

He required Hubei Province and its capital city of Wuhan to continue focusing on treating severe cases while visiting discharged patients to check their health conditions. Community-level containment measures should also be optimized.

Other parts of China, especially provinces near Hubei, should step up information sharing and containment coordination, Xi said, adding that containment efforts in Beijing should be maintained.

He ordered targeted management of asymptomatic cases to fix all loopholes that might lead to a rebound of the outbreak.

The meeting called for strengthened epidemic prevention and control at land and sea border ports.

It stressed strictly enforcing quarantine requirements for all inbound travelers at designated venues to minimize the risk of them causing local transmission.

The meeting also required in-depth international cooperation on COVID-19 response and active contributions to the global fight against the pandemic.

Workers work on a production line of an intelligent forklift producing enterprise at Huagang Town in Feixi County, east China's Anhui Province, April 6, 2020. Amid strict measures against COVID-19, the county has acted to learn about local enterprises' productions and operations, and help them solve various difficulties with business resumption. All enterprises above designated size here have resumed businesses. (Xinhua/Liu Junxi)

Noting that China's economic development faces growing difficulties, the meeting urged Party committees and governments at all levels to timely adjust their anti-virus measures in light of local conditions and create favorable conditions to the maximum for the resumption of work and production.

The meeting urged stronger implementation of pro-resumption policies, greater support to industries as well as micro, small and medium-sized enterprises hit by the epidemic, and more vigorous efforts to expand domestic demand.

It was agreed at the meeting that efforts should be made to generate joint momentum of demand and supply by actively promoting residents' spending and expediting construction of investment projects.

The meeting also highlighted work on ensuring and improving living standards, urging efforts to advance spring agricultural production and maintain stable market supply and prices of non-staple food, including pork, vegetables and fruits.

Efforts should be made to enhance basic social security for those most in need, offer temporary living allowances to people in hard-hit regions, and expand access to unemployment insurance.

The meeting also stressed workplace safety, disaster prevention and mitigation, including wildfire prevention, flood control and drought relief, and stronger emergency response capabilities to ensure people's safety.

Editor: John Li