Control of the COVID-19 epidemic should be enhanced in weak areas and further prevention measures and international cooperation should be improved in line with the changing situation of the outbreak, according to those at a meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang on May 20.

Premier Li also is a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, and head of the leading group on COVID-19 prevention and control.

Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and deputy head of the group, also attended the meeting.

Effective prevention and control measures and work resumption measures during the May Day holiday should be promoted to enhance regular control while economic and social order are resuming to speed up the recovery of consumption and economic development, those at the meeting said.

Although the domestic epidemic has been under control, those at the meeting still demanded high levels of attention to its developments, as risks of local cluster infections still exist and there are still some asymptomatic cases.

The emphasis should be on reinforcing the epidemiological survey of COVID-19 cases, finding the sources of transmission to cut off transmission routes as soon as possible, and addressing weak links in terms of community prevention and control, hospital infection prevention, and nucleic acid testing capacity, among others.

To cope with asymptomatic cases, the scope of nucleic acid tests should continue to be expanded for timely detection, and apart from stringent medical measures, such cases should be immediately categorized as confirmed cases once they exhibit COVID-19 symptoms, with related information released in an open, truthful and transparent manner.

Common problems found in epidemic prevention and control actions should be made public promptly, and local governments should draw lessons for enhancing regular control efforts, keeping an eye on sporadic infections and firmly guarding against clusters, to ensure early discovery, reporting, quarantine and treatment in the case of any outbreak.

Various venues, especially crowded places like schools, should follow regular prevention and control requirements for good ventilation and disinfection, testing body temperature and keeping social distancing, as well as ensuring personal protection, with a healthy lifestyle encouraged across society.

According to the report made at the meeting, epidemic prevention during the May Day holidays saw effective results, with most catering and accommodations resuming business.

During the holiday, the number of newly-confirmed cases, suspected cases, asymptomatic cases under medical observation, and those in close contact with patients was lower than the average level before the holiday.

Successful prevention practices in all regions provided experiences for larger personnel movement and further business resumption in the next step.

Those at the meeting required further enhancement of regular prevention measures while speeding up resumption of the service sector.

In addition, strict prevention measures also were stressed for the coming two sessions at the meeting.

Leading group members Ding Xuexiang, Sun Chunlan, Huang Kunming, Cai Qi, Wang Yi, Xiao Jie and Zhao Kezhi also attended the meeting.