China News Network, Beijing, March 6th: 16 cases a day! China's epidemic prevention and control faces new challenges as overseas imports increase

Reporter Ma Xueling

At 04:00 on March 5th, in addition to Wuhan, the main battlefield, 17 new cases were confirmed in China, of which 16 were imported overseas. The nationwide effort continued for more than a month, and the situation of China's epidemic prevention and control continued to improve. As the war turned around, the global epidemic was turbulent, and overseas importation became a new challenge in the war.

On March 4, Shanghai Customs conducted a health declaration card information check on incoming passengers at Pudong International Airport. Photo by China Press Agency reporter Yin Liqin

alert! New risks for epidemic prevention and control

On the evening of March 5, the news of 11 new confirmed imported cases in Gansu caused concern. A netizen commented, "Gansu's handover was so early, this additional question is too difficult ..."

Facing the difficult problem of overseas import, it is not only Gansu. According to the National Health and Medical Commission's report, from 04:00 to March 24th, 16 newly diagnosed imported cases were reported. Among them, 11 were from Gansu, 4 from Beijing, and 1 from Shanghai. As of 24:00 on March 5, a total of 36 imported confirmed cases were reported overseas.

"16 of the 17 newly confirmed cases are imported cases overseas, suggesting that the risk is gradually increasing in this regard." Mi Feng, a spokesperson for the National Health and Health Commission and deputy director of the Department of Publicity, said on the 5th that the epidemic situation was reported.

This risk comes from a surge in international outbreaks. According to the latest WHO report, as of 10:00 am Central European Time (17:00 Beijing time), a total of 14,768 new cases of corona pneumonia have been diagnosed outside China, and 267 deaths have occurred. Cases continue to rise in various countries, and stringent control measures such as suspension of schools, strengthening of isolation, and reduction of clusters have been introduced.

Will China become a destination for new crown pneumonia? Zhong Nanshan, the leader of the high-level expert group of the National Health and Medical Commission and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, answered this question on February 27 and bluntly said, "It is possible."

Today, with the increase of imported cases abroad, Mi Feng emphasized: We must not reduce our vigilance and prevention and control requirements for the epidemic, and we must continue to deepen international cooperation in epidemic prevention and control, and share information and experience with WHO and relevant countries in a timely manner Fight the epidemic.

Data map: On February 18, the inspectors of the Sichuan International Travel Health Care Center (Chengdu Customs Port Clinic) health quarantine laboratory tested the new type of coronavirus nucleic acid in a negative pressure laboratory while wearing protective clothing.

Keep the "gates of the country"! Multi-sector emergency deployment

Faced with the risks of overseas imports, China's tactics to combat the epidemic were adjusted in a timely manner, and the "epidemic" defense line was drawn to the entrance of the country.

On February 26, the first confirmed case of imported neocoronary pneumonia occurred in Ningxia. The meeting of the Central Leading Group for New Coronary Pneumonia Epidemics held the next day made arrangements for this new sign.

"Develop cross-border transportation, ports, entry and exit of high-risk personnel and other corresponding epidemic prevention and control standards, coordinate the adoption of common prevention and control measures to effectively prevent the export or import of epidemics in the cross-border movement of personnel." To promote the establishment and improvement of emergency response mechanisms for health, epidemic prevention, communication and coordination in countries with many people.

Three days later, on March 1, "effectively preventing and controlling overseas epidemic input in accordance with the law" became the subject of a press conference of the State Council's joint prevention and control mechanism. Relevant persons in charge from the foreign affairs, customs, immigration and civil aviation departments focused on introducing the "combined boxing" policy of China's national defense control of overseas epidemic import.

Among them, the General Administration of Customs requires that all immigration personnel must make health declarations; the National Migration Administration requires that big data analysis be conducted before international flights arrive, and relevant personnel from key countries and regions of the epidemic should be pre-screened in advance; For the prevention and control of international routes, the Civil Aviation Administration of China has formulated district-level and differentiated epidemic prevention and control measures to distinguish flight operation risks and implement differentiated management.

On the 5th, the Information Office of the State Council held a press conference on international cooperation in the fight against the epidemic, and focused on responding to external concerns through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Health Commission. Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu said that according to the development of the epidemic, Chinese local governments will also timely and dynamically adjust the prevention and control measures for foreigners coming to China.

Qingdao Customs conducts boarding and quarantine inspections on aircraft declared by persons with symptoms of infectious diseases. Photo by Liu Xuewen

Tactical adjustments in various places: the airport is the battlefield, and the port is the front line

The central government is deploying and the local "tactics" are also being adjusted.

In the first week of March, Beijing, Shanghai, Jilin, Hebei, Shaanxi, Hunan, and other provinces were the "leaders" of the party and government, and selected the place to investigate and control the epidemic at the international airport.

At Beijing Capital Airport, Cai Qi, secretary of the Beijing Municipal Party Committee, said that Beijing, as an important international port, faces a sharp increase in the risk of overseas epidemic import. "At this moment, the airport is the battlefield and the port is the front line."

At the Pudong International Airport, Li Qiang, secretary of the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee, said that the port is the first gate and the first gate to enter Shanghai. It is necessary to strengthen measures, build a defense line, and keep the responsibility of the soil and the responsibility of the soil.

In fact, since the end of February, local "hard-core" measures to prevent overseas epidemic import have been intensively introduced.

Beijing requires that all people who come to Beijing from a severely infected country such as South Korea and Italy come to Beijing for observation; Shanghai requires that all Chinese and foreign personnel who have a history of residency in a key country or region within 14 days before entering Shanghai Carry out home or centralized quarantine health observation, which means quarantine for 14 days. In Northeast China, Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Liaoning provinces have launched an interactive cooperation mechanism to realize the exchange of information between people from South Korea and Japan.

In addition to provincial-level deployments, some border cities have more detailed prevention and control deployments. For example, Dandong, Liaoning Province, set up the Working Group on Strict Prevention of Overseas Epidemic Imports on February 28, and required that all people who entered Dandong overseas after February 12 carry out a new crown pneumonia nucleic acid test.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China specifically stated that these measures "are treated equally for foreign citizens and Chinese citizens" and are implemented without discrimination.

Shenyang Customs Customs officers under Shenyang Taoxian Airport are instructing inbound passengers to fill out health declaration forms. Photo by Wang Zhen

The world is hot and cold! China will never be a neighbor

Against the backdrop of a slowdown in domestic epidemics and a sudden increase in overseas epidemics, there is an argument that China should shut its doors.

No, this is not China's choice!

"The virus has no national borders, and the epidemic is the common enemy of mankind. The fight against the new crown pneumonia epidemic once again shows that countries are more related and inseparable in the era of globalization, and no country can survive alone." Ma Chaoxu in the State News Office on the 5th The conference responded to the world like this.

China stands firmly at the forefront of epidemic prevention and control, contributes to all mankind with huge sacrifices, and wins time for global epidemic prevention and control, while doing its best to provide assistance to some countries.

"For example, we have provided testing reagents to Pakistan, Japan, the AU, etc., and shared treatment plans with many countries. The Chinese government, the Chinese Red Cross, and some companies have also provided reagents to Iran and African countries. The Red Cross also dispatched to Iran A team of volunteer experts ... "

In addition, Ma Zhaoxu revealed that China is also willing to strengthen health cooperation with relevant countries, especially those with high outbreaks and WHO, to help each other and overcome the epidemic.

Faced with global challenges such as public health and safety, "are we helping each other together or believing in our neighbors? Fighting side by side or watching the fire from the other side? Sending coal in the snow or falling down?" As Ma Zhaoxu asked at the press conference, the answer is self-evident.

The virus knows no borders, so the world is cold! Together, this is China's answer. (Finish)