If winter comes, spring cannot be far behind

The latest outbreak of novel coronavirus infections in Hebei province should once again remind people of the importance of epidemic prevention and control. It should also make clear that far from being relaxed, there is an increasing need to maintain, if not to tighten, prevention and control measures, or else new outbreaks could again jeopardize China's social and economic development.

That one high-risk and 40 medium-risk areas have been earmarked in Hebei shows that it will never be too cautious to control the epidemic.

Before the latest outbreak, China had largely contained the spread of COVID-19 pandemic. The sporadic outbreaks of cases in recent months indicate that cold temperatures in most parts of China allow the virus to survive much longer than usual on frozen aquatic products as well as on the surface of other things－for instance, the wrappings of auto parts have tested positive for the virus in some places. This has made it more difficult to prevent the virus from being transmitted to people from different sources. And if the chain of transmissions is not cut, social and economic activities will suffer.