The Standing Committee of the CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee held a conference on Nov 26 to lay out instructions on how to prevent a COVID-19 resurgence in the province over the winter and spring.

The conference called on all parties to seriously consider the severe challenges that lie ahead: the coronavirus' global resurgence has put the province at increased risk of imported cases from abroad; it is even harder to distinguish COVID-19 from respiratory diseases which will be prevalent in the coming winter and spring; the cold weather will make the virus more transmittable through cargo transport; and some of the province’s residents have become complacent about the risk of infection as day-to-day life has largely returned to normal.

The conference called on Zhejiang officials to step up efforts to establish a strong mechanism for origin tracing, quarantine imposing, and precise, intelligent monitoring.

Both imported cases and locally transmitted cases should be taken seriously; and both regular measures and emergency treatment should be employed.

Mask wearing, health code checks, and social distancing should be strictly implemented. Nucleic acid testing, vaccination, and emergency treatment at national borders, hospitals, and public sites should be further improved.

Zhejiang should ensure that no case of infection is neglected, delayed, or covered up, and no hospital-acquired infections, community transmission, or cluster outbreaks should occur at public places.

Zhejiang officials should be firmly supervised and held accountable for their assigned tasks and responsibilities related to COVID-19 containment.