Precautions for a safe May Day holiday: China Daily editorial

The number of new coronavirus infections totaled 5.75 million worldwide in the past week, among which 40 percent are in China's land neighbors. There is no sign that this wave of pandemic will ebb any time soon despite the rapid increase of vaccine doses administered.

Vaccines work, but the battle against the virus will not be won solely relying on vaccines. What China has achieved in containing the spread of the virus speaks volumes about how important it is to strictly observe prevention and control measures such as limiting the size of gatherings, maintaining social distancing and always wearing masks when going to public venues, and washing hands frequently.

Despite the fact that the Chinese mainland has witnessed no new domestic cases for more than a month and some provinces and autonomous regions have been free from local cases even for months, there should be no letup as far as the prevention and control measures are concerned. The country had 364 imported cases as of Thursday this month, 20 percent more than that of March.

Because of the new wave of the virus around the world, especially in India, where new variants of the virus have appeared, there is the possibility of those infected with the virus or asymptomatic ones carrying the virus entering the country. Entry points must exercise vigilance.

There is also the possibility that the virus may enter the country through cargo from overseas. Disinfection of incoming cargo must also be rigorously carried out.

The May Day holiday is just around the corner, and more than 200 million trips are expected to be made during the five-day holiday. A lot of scenic spots are expected to receive more visitors than they did during the same period of 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic. That is good news for the tourism industry. But airports, railway stations and scenic spots must do a good job in conscientiously carrying out their disinfection work. They must have public venues such as waiting rooms, restrooms regularly disinfected, and disinfectants must be made available for passengers and visitors.

Workers in these public venues also have the responsibility to remind people to keep their face masks on at all times, and observe social distancing.

For individuals who travel during the holiday, they must also make efforts to keep themselves safe from the virus. They must carry enough masks, disinfectants or alcohol for medical use to disinfect their hands frequently. They should also have the awareness that they must not form crowds.

The need for caution can never be overestimated. Only by doing whatever is necessary to keep themselves safe will people be able to have a good time during the holiday. And only by doing a good job in keeping the environment free from the possible invasion of the virus will all railway stations, airports and scenic spots contribute to a happy holiday.