Visit to Wuhan buoys residents’ morale

People in Wuhan, Hubei province, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus pneumonia outbreak, have hailed President Xi Jinping's inspection tour of the city on Tuesday, saying his visit has boosted their morale to secure full victory in the battle against the epidemic.

Government officials, medical workers on the front line, community workers, volunteers and residents said that Xi's visit shows his personal care as well as the great deal of attention the central government has paid to the hardest-hit city. They vowed to redouble their efforts to consolidate the positive momentum on epidemic control.

While chairing a meeting in Wuhan attended by local Party officials on Wednesday, Ying Yong, Party secretary of Hubei, called on local officials to honestly carry out Xi's instructions during the inspection and translate them into actions in epidemic control to resolutely win the battle in Wuhan and Hubei.

Participants in the meeting underlined the need to coordinate epidemic control with the supply of medical and daily necessities as well as resumption of production and business operations, and take targeted measures to ensure socioeconomic activities continue in an orderly manner.

They also urged officials to take into account the emotional pressure that residents are experiencing due to the monthlong community lockdown for the purpose of epidemic prevention and control, shoulder their responsibility to safeguard people's livelihoods and maintain social stability.

While visiting Huoshenshan Hospital, the first leg of his inspection tour, Xi lauded the front-line medical workers and called them "the most admirable people in the new era" who deserve the highest commendation. He said they have taken on the most arduous missions.

Zhang Sibing, the hospital's president, said that he was impressed by Xi's requirement to improve the recovery rate and reduce the mortality rate. Zhang said he will lead the medical team to fight to the end in the battle against the virus and he is confident they will win it.

Xi fully recognized medical workers' efforts in and dedication to epidemic control, said Hu Ke, a respiratory doctor from the People's Hospital of Wuhan University. Hu said he was inspired by Xi's heartwarming words.

While visiting the Donghu Xincheng Community in Hongshan district, home to 3,325 households and more than 12,700 residents, Xi praised community workers' outstanding contributions in the fight against the epidemic and thanked them for their hard work.

Yang Mingxin, a community worker who joined the meeting with Xi during his inspection tour in the community, said that Xi cares greatly about the development of the epidemic in Wuhan and people's livelihoods there. "This demonstrates that his heart is always with all our Wuhan residents," she said.

Chen Feng, a resident of Songtaoyuan Community in Wuchang district, said he was impressed by Xi's warning against complacency in epidemic control. "It is critically important to ensure all of the officials and residents remain vigilant about the epidemic even though there are positive signs on the containment of the virus," Chen said.

Presiding over a teleconference attended by local government officials, Xi said the epidemic will not affect the fundamentals of Hubei's steady and long-term sound economic development. He urged the implementation of policies and measures to support businesses, stabilize employment and create more jobs.

Jiang Tao, general manager of Sinopharm Zhonglian Pharmaceutical Co in Wuhan, said Xi's visit took place at a critical time, and has boosted his confidence in overcoming the challenges arising from the epidemic.

Due to the epidemic control, most of the businesses in Wuhan were ordered by city authorities to be temporarily suspended. Jiang's company is among a few businesses in the city that are allowed to operate on a small scale as part of the fight against the epidemic.

"We are making every effort to resume normal business operations so that we can continue to contribute to the city's economic development," Jiang said. "In the meanwhile, we will take rigorous measures in epidemic prevention to protect the safety and health of our employees."