BEIJING -- China is taking swift action to accurately implement even more targeted COVID-19 response measures in places where virus outbreaks flared up in recent weeks.

Cases in some parts of the country remain at high levels and keep rising, a situation complicated by seasonal factors that may cause infections to spread further.

Earlier this month, the government rolled out 20 measures to further optimize its COVID-19 response, which are aimed at maximizing the protection of people's safety and health, and minimizing the impact on economic and social development.

The authorities have emphasized three general principles -- always putting the people and their lives above everything else, sticking to the general strategy of "preventing imported cases and domestic resurgences," and adhering to the general policy of "dynamic zero-COVID."

The Omicron variants are known to spread very fast; it requires even swifter response to cut off virus transmission routes in order to curb the epidemic.

Those working in high-risk sectors and people vulnerable to the virus have been put under close monitoring amid efforts to detect, report, isolate and treat COVID-19 patients in the shortest time possible.

Hesitation will only result in losing the initiative in terms of virus containment, making it harder to curb the virus spread and prevent its adverse impact on economic and social development from being magnified.

The fight against the virus is a race against time. The country is pursuing higher efficiency in dealing with virus infections, isolating close contacts, and building quarantine facilities.

Only with decisive and swift response measures can China avoid letting the anti-virus war drag on for too long.

In the past three years, China has withstood rounds of epidemic resurgences, and the key is adopting accurate measures to tackle local outbreaks, with stringent and effective quarantines applied.

Authorities are ramping up measures to rectify a one-size-fits-all approach, prevent excessive policy steps, and avoid arbitrarily enlarging the quarantine scope or loosening the control measures without careful analysis.

With scientific and targeted measures, China is doing all it can to contain the virus and resume normal life and economic activities in the shortest time possible, toward victory in the battle against the epidemic.