On April 7, the National Health Commission (NHC) convened a video conference on COVID-19 prevention and control after the lifting of Wuhan lockdown that will be implemented on April 8. 

Ma Xiaowei, minister of the NHC, addressed the conference.

According to Ma, the decision of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee to impose outbound travel restrictions on Wuhan was key to preventing the epidemic from spreading rapidly. He said that, under the leadership of the CPC Central Committee and thanks to the joint efforts of the whole country, the spread of novel coronavirus has been basically blocked, with Wuhan as the major battlefield. The prevention and control has achieved significant results.

Ma emphasized that the “reopening” of Wuhan after its 76-day lockdown is of great significance to the overall situation, and also brings a new test of epidemic prevention and control. He noted that the day of lifted lockdown of Wuhan is not the day of final victory and lifting of the lockdown does not mean lifting of epidemic prevention and control. Similarly, having zero new confirmed cases does not mean zero risks and the reopening of the city does not mean the reopening of its communities. 

He said it should be aware that the risk of imported cases is obviously increasing, and the resumption of work, production and academic classes will increase the flow of people after the lockdown is lifted. Therefore, all-out efforts should be made to improve epidemic prevention and control strategies and measures and actions should be taken at key links and risk points. Hubei province and Wuhan city should reasonably deal with the relationship between production resumption and prevention and control measures, and ensure that improvements in epidemic conditions will not be reversed as the outbound travel restrictions are lifted.

Ma emphasized five aspects of the epidemic control work. First, jurisdictions, government agencies, employers and individuals should strictly perform their responsibilities and obligations in epidemic prevention and control. Second, detailed measures should be taken to manage confirmed cases, suspected cases, close contacts with infected patients, and fever patients whose possibility of infection cannot be ruled out. Third, the continuity and stability of the existing policy measures should be maintained according to the criteria, reports and management requirements of the novel coronavirus asymptomatic infections in the prevention and control protocol. Fourth, it is important to strengthen publicity about mental health science and to guide the public to return to normal life gradually and rationally. Fifth, continuous efforts should be made to treat patients and give full play to the advantages of multidisciplinary diagnosis and treatment and the combination of traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine, cutting off the transition from mild to severe cases and improving efficacy of treatment.

Ma demanded that precise and normalized measures should be taken to coordinate nationwide epidemic prevention and control. First, safe and orderly movement of the people leaving Wuhan and Hubei province should be promoted. Second, the mechanisms of discovery, reporting and management of asymptomatic infections must be strengthened. Third, measures of early detection, reporting, isolation and treatment should be earnestly implemented, allowing full play for monitoring of fever clinics in medical intuitions and direct network report systems while paying close attention to newly reported confirmed cases, suspected cases and asymptomatic infections, as well as epidemiological investigations. Fourth, it is necessary to insist on a combination of emergency response and normalization of prevention and control, resume production step by step according to risk levels of different regions and press ahead with prevention and control in key venues, institutions and groups of people. Fifth, restoration of normal medical care services and implementation of epidemic prevention and control measures in medical institutions must be accelerated.

He said that local health agencies should give full play to the role of the leading and professional departments of the joint control and prevention mechanism and fully implement prevention and control measures to secure the victory in the fight against the epidemic.

Senior officials from the NHC and the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine attended the conference. Officials of provincial health commissions as well as the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps also participated.