Remove hurdles to get things going again: China Daily editorial

With no new infections reported in Wuhan, Hubei province — the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak in China — for five days running since Wednesday, officials nationwide who have been working on the forefront of epidemic prevention and control for nearly two months must now change their mindset. They need to prioritize helping enterprises resume their operations and getting people's lives back to normal. 

That is not to say that they should in any way lower their vigilance against the virus that has spread throughout the world. But now they need to look outward rather than within as the number of imported cases of infections — 39 were reported on Sunday — keep increasing. Any letup in this regard risks jeopardizing the nation's success in its fight against the virus. A second wave of infections through imported cases would undermine people's confidence that the epidemic is under control and cause irreversible damage to the economy which is slowly recovering.

Which explains why the government is doubling down on screening and quarantine work at customs, such as requiring all visitors from overseas to isolate themselves at designated places for 14 days. 

Yet these strengthened efforts at containing imported infections should by no means be an excuse to further delay getting enterprises back onto the normal track. After all, the epidemic challenge, though still daunting at present, bears no comparison to what the country faced at the peak of the outbreak — when more than 14,000 new cases were reported in one day in February. 

Any attempt to maintain the once-essential stringent restrictions on people's movements, especially in low-risk regions, will now do more harm than good. It would represent an overly cautious work style by those officials fearful of relaxing their grip lest it give the epidemic a second wind. This attitude is counterproductive.

The country's enterprises, especially those small and medium-sized ones in the service sector, have suffered immensely during the onslaught of the virus as businesses were forced to suspend their operations. It would be a sacrifice too heavy for the country to bear, if businesses go bankrupt one after another because they cannot get approval to reopen, or because the raw materials or parts they need are stuck in trucks due to road blocks.

Fortunately, many local government officials have already realized the urgency and significance of this task, and pushed forward plans to help enterprises return to normal operation. In Gansu province, each government official is required to spend at least 200 yuan ($28.18) a week out of their own pocket to spur the recovery of the local catering industry.

Hopefully, more local governments will follow suit and, with coordinated efforts, bring full vigor back to the country's economic activity.