Prevention and control measures still matter

Beijing downgraded the last medium-risk area of the capital to low-risk on Monday, and with no new infections reported in the capital for 14 consecutive days, the emergency response level has been lowered from level II to III, which means life will slowly return to normal for the city's residents.

Starting on June 11, there were 335 confirmed novel coronavirus cases in the capital, all of which were linked to a wholesale market in the south of the city. Of these, 231 have been discharged from hospital after recovery. The remaining 104 are still hospitalized but none are in a serious condition.

That 335 people were infected shows the high transmissibility of the virus. But Beijing's success in limiting it to that number and bringing the outbreak under control in 40 days is testimony to the effectiveness of the prevention and control measures that are in place.

But the new cluster of cases that have been detected in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region show that residents, residential communities and working units must remain vigilant.

They must also implement prevention and control measures as required and respond quickly to any infections so that transmission chains are cut as swiftly as possible.

Residents meanwhile should wear a face mask wherever they go and practice social distancing.

With the peak of the pandemic in the rest of the world yet to come, there is still the danger of in-coming virus carriers bringing the virus into the country. So the practicing of preventive measures must become a part of people's daily life.

Had all residents had such an awareness and done a good job in prevention and control, the cluster of infections in Beijing might have been prevented.

The role residential communities have played in containing the spread of the virus can never be underestimated, and their potential to function as a grassroots link between the governments and residents needs to be further tapped.

More than 1.6 million people, including government officials, residents and volunteers, carried out the measures at the community level so that every infected person was found and treated promptly, and those under quarantine were taken care of.

Nonetheless, the experience of residential communities in the prevention and control of the virus needs to be studied so that any defects or loopholes that have been exposed at this level can be addressed. The fight against the virus has not ended, and it is crucial that it is denied any foothold.