Why China must stick to dynamic zero-COVID policy

A volunteer in protective gear guides citizens at a nucleic acid testing site in Luohu District of Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, March 13, 2022. (Photo by Chu Yan/Xinhua)

The latest resurgence of COVID-19 infections in major Chinese cities has underscored once again why it is important for China to adhere to its dynamic zero-COVID policy.

Since the outbreak of the epidemic, some western media have been calculating the human and economic cost of China's zero-COVID policy, repeatedly stirring up debates about the limitations of this containment strategy.

The importance of sticking to the current prevention and control measures is apparent. For a country as populous as China, hasty and premature relaxation of dynamic zero-COVID policy risks eroding the hard-won prevention and control achievements gained in the earlier stage, and may also result in severe consequences in the near future.

Only by adhering to such an effective containment policy, can China tackle the epidemic situation immediately upon detection of cases, preventing mass infections, severe illness and deaths, and avoiding straining medical resources to better meet people's daily medical needs.

Compared with the huge population in China, the numbers of infections, severe cases and deaths related to novel coronavirus pneumonia are very small, and the imported epidemic situation can be curbed quickly, demonstrating that the prevention and control measures are effective and efficient.

China has already found an approach to dynamically stamp out COVID-19 infections while maintaining the country's economic vitality. It saw a strong rebound with 8.1-percent growth in 2021 and became the only major economy to record growth in 2020.

The dynamic zero-COVID policy has not only saved precious lives and made it possible for economic and social life to recover in a relatively short time in China, the whole world has also benefitted.

Thanks to this policy, China, the second largest economy and major supplier of many manufactured goods, could provide key manufactured products to the world, including goods badly needed by many countries in fighting the pandemic.

Amid the persistent battle against the coronavirus, the Chinese people have actively complied with the country's anti-epidemic strategy. Preventive measures such as wearing masks, washing hands and social distancing are strictly followed by the public.

 

Residents queue to receive nucleic acid tests at a community in east China's Shanghai, March 13, 2021. (Xinhua/Gao Feng) 

In Shenzhen, Shanghai and other cities, where resurgence of cases has been reported, citizens have actively cooperated with the government to undergo mass nucleic acid testing and implement closed-loop management for residential communities and other public places at risk of infection.

China's dynamic zero-COVID approach has been supported and collectively implemented by the people in all walks of life -- from frontline medical staff and local residents to college students and community volunteers, as they believe the dynamic zero-COVID policy has proved effective in containing the virus.

Getting cold feet about a worthwhile endeavor that the country has been sincerely pursuing is tantamount to flinching at the final attempt. The result may prove catastrophic to China and the world. China will stick to the dynamic zero-COVID policy until the battle against the virus is won. ■