Virus must not be allowed a comeback

The upcoming Oct 1-8 National Day Golden Week holiday will be a time for travel as well as celebration, as many people with long pent-up enthusiasm to go out will be planning to visit the cultural and tourist sites that have reopened nationwide after many months of forced shutdowns due to the novel coronavirus epidemic.

The fact that they are able to do so is because the country managed to get a grip on the virus relatively quickly due to its successful prevention and control measures. The experience gained in the struggle against the virus must also light the way forward.

Thus the Ministry of Culture and Tourism has reiterated that all venues to host holiday visitors must not let the number surpass 75 percent of their maximum receiving capacity, together with other measures such as requiring reservations be made in advance and making arrangements to ensure there will be no sudden surges in visitors. All this will help ensure that people can enjoy their holidays while reducing the risk of virus transmission to the minimum.

To make sure such rules are followed to the letter nationwide will not be easy, given the huge flow of people during the week－the China Tourism Academy has predicted that 550 million trips will be made during the holiday. The number, although lower than nearly 800 million recorded last year, still poses a daunting task for the tourist agencies and entertainment venues because the sector has yet to recover to its full handling capacity. For example, only 75 percent of tourist agencies have come back to work, while the reopening rate for theaters stands at around 53 percent. The upcoming holiday rush will serve as a test for them as well as officials at all levels.

There can be no let-up in vigilance, particularly as the risk posed by imported COVID-19 cases is still there. On Sunday China reported 21 such cases, against the backdrop of confirmed cases having surpassed 30 million worldwide, with still no sign of the number easing. The stark contrast cannot but remind everyone of us of the hard-won achievement China has made, and the need to preserve it. That means everyone must fully comply with all prevention and control rules and exercise caution and common sense. Hand-washing, social distancing and mask wearing are an imperative.

It is all-for-one and one-for-all in the fight against the virus.