Will Wuhan's "unblocking" affect the national anti-epidemic situation? Epidemic prevention expert: it won't have much impact
[Global Times reporter Ni Hao] Editor's note: From 0:00 on April 8th, the traffic control checkpoint in Wuhan will be removed, and the operation of railways, civil aviation, water transportation, highways, and urban buses will be restored in an orderly manner. Will Wuhan's "unblocking" have a certain impact on the nation's current situation in fighting the epidemic? What measures should Wuhan and all parts of the country adopt to protect the victory? "Global Times" reporter interviewed many domestic experts on the 8th.
How to prevent and control the risks caused by the outflow of personnel
On the 8th, 75 traffic control checkpoints in Wuhan, the three major railway stations, and Tianhe Airport were officially "unblocked." According to the pre-sale of train tickets on the 7th, it is estimated that more than 55,000 passengers will leave Wuhan by train on the 8th. Wuhan's transportation departments have formulated strict preventive measures and are waiting for them. At the railway station, passengers with a green health code can enter the station, and the temperature must be measured during security check, and only those who meet the requirements can be released.
It is also reported that strict anti-epidemic measures have also been implemented in the train carriages, and the train crews have measured the temperature of passengers one by one according to the regulations, and made detailed regulations on personal behaviors on trains such as toilets, in order to eliminate possible risks to the greatest extent.
Yang Zhanqiu, professor of the Institute of Virology, Wuhan University Medical Department, told the Global Times reporter on the 8th that according to the Wuhan epidemic prevention and control situation, the time to unblock Wuhan is ripe. An unidentified expert on epidemic prevention also told the Global Times reporter that, under the comprehensive consideration of restoring economic production and social activities and other comprehensive factors, it is now necessary for Wuhan to unblock it at the right time. Yang Zhanqiu believes that although the risk of asymptomatic infections cannot be absolutely ruled out, the majority of people currently flowing out of Wuhan are healthy, so the entire mobile space is safe. At the same time, Yang Zhanqiu, a Wuhan citizen, explained that the health code needs to be green to meet certain conditions, such as not having a fever within a specified time. Patients discharged from the hospital with new coronary pneumonia will not have a green health code, which technically excludes the possibility of the outbreak of the outbreak from Wuhan to the whole country due to the activities of the personnel.
Anti-epidemic experts told the Global Times reporter that the highest temperature in Wuhan on the day of the unblocking was above 20 degrees Celsius. The current temperature conditions are not conducive to the survival and spread of the virus. These are also favorable conditions for unblocking Wuhan. Although the epidemic prevention measures of the major transportation departments have been improved, he reminded that these measures are still mainly concentrated on social management methods, and there are still lack of protective technical measures. "For example, it is difficult to kill the virus above the open space by carrying the sprayer in the public space." He believes that the unblocking will not have much impact on the overall situation of national epidemic prevention and control, but the specific effect will not be manifest until two weeks later.
Is the risk of asymptomatic infection controllable?
Asymptomatic infections are a potential risk for the unblocking staff in Wuhan. Yang Zhanqiu believes that asymptomatic patients have no symptoms, their health code may be green, and it is not easy to be detected at the station or terminal security, which will become a risk factor.
Yang Jiong, chief expert of the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine of Central South Hospital of Wuhan University, recently said that Wuhan has a large number of asymptomatic infections. Although the infectivity is low, there is still a risk of infection. He believes that after the unblocking, population mobility will increase and it needs to be handled with caution.
Yang Zhanqiu believes that asymptomatic patients themselves carry less virus and mainly spread through droplets. Passengers can effectively protect themselves after wearing masks, and do not need to worry too much.
In addition, after the unblocking, Wuhan is also facing pressure from the increase in the flow of people in the city to the prevention and control of the epidemic. According to the announcement issued by Wuhan on the 7th, the public transportation system in Wuhan is starting in an orderly manner, commercial activities and factory production are gradually recovering, and the local epidemic prevention situation in Wuhan is also facing new challenges. According to the announcement, Wuhan continues to strengthen community control and strict management of entry and exit personnel, implement identity inquiry, information recording, body temperature measurement, masks must be worn, guarding the community's frontline prevention and control positions; commercial supermarkets, parks, hospitals and other open places Strictly implement temperature detection, registration entry and exit, and flow control to prevent aggregate cross-infection.
Yang Zhanqiu said that although Wuhan began unblocking on the 8th, community isolation measures were not immediately relaxed. "The difference is that the return workers need to enter and leave the community every day. But this is not a big problem. Each unit will have strict anti-epidemic measures, and the temperature will be registered when entering and leaving the community." According to Yang Zhanqiu's observation, Wuhan unblocked the first day, except Outside of public spaces such as stations, the outdoor pedestrian flow in Wuhan has not increased much. "Theoretically, Wuhan was the same as Wuhan when the city was closed, but the population has decreased and the corresponding risks have also become smaller."
How to prevent "regional discrimination" after unblocking
A large number of people left Wuhan and dispersed to all parts of the country, which correspondingly increased the pressure of epidemic prevention and control in destination cities. On the afternoon of the 8th, the information disclosed in the Beijing Epidemic Prevention and Control Press Conference, there are currently more than 11,000 Beijing personnel stranded in Wuhan plan to return to Beijing, plans to enter Beijing about 1,000 people daily, on the 8th to organize high-speed rail to return to Beijing 866 people. Beijing has formulated more systematic measures, which stipulates that only those who have a negative nucleic acid test result will be eligible to purchase tickets. After arriving in Beijing, they will conduct quarantine observation at home or for 14 days.
In addition to Beijing, many places across the country have made corresponding quarantine regulations for passengers arriving in Wuhan. For example, Shaanxi requires people coming to Shaanxi to undergo temperature measurement, health code inspection, and health testing, and they need to declare personal health information to communities and units.
Yang Zhanqiu said that it is reasonable and necessary to introduce corresponding measures in various places. However, the vast majority of the Han people are healthy and safe, and the people everywhere are not too emotional.
With the unblocking of Wuhan, there will be more Wuhan people or people living in Wuhan during the closure of the city to work and study abroad. Will they be subject to unnecessary "regional discrimination" because of the epidemic? Yang Zhanqiu believes that Wuhan, as an area with severe epidemics, may have a psychological misunderstanding or even discrimination in some people elsewhere, but this kind of understanding will not be widespread and will not exist for a long time, so do n’t worry too much.
Another person who lives and works in Wuhan told the Global Times reporter that he is not worried that he will be "discriminated" because of the identity of the Wuhan people, because Wuhan faces the world and China needs Wuhan.