Xinhua News Agency Commentator: To safeguard our territory is a duty; to fulfill that duty is to shoulder responsibility.

　At present, the COVID‑19 virus continues to mutate, and the global pandemic remains widespread. In some regions of China, the spread is accelerating, and the risk of a resurgence is increasing, leaving the epidemic prevention and control situation still complex and severe. In the face of the pandemic, all localities and departments must fully recognize the complexity, arduousness, and recurring nature of the fight against the virus, earnestly assume their responsibilities for prevention and control, swiftly curb the momentum of the epidemic’s spread, and ensure that they fulfill their duties in safeguarding their respective areas.

　　“Even a pinhole can let in a gale.” Epidemic prevention and control touches every aspect of life and demands unwavering vigilance; no one can afford to falter. We must resolutely overcome attitudes of complacency, indifference, and self‑importance, firmly enforce the responsibilities of local authorities, relevant departments, organizations, and individuals, and ensure that leading officials personally take charge. With a sense of responsibility that keeps us “constantly on edge,” we must address shortcomings and strengthen weak areas, continuously tightening and reinforcing the epidemic‑prevention network. We must cultivate a broader perspective, uphold a work style characterized by earnestness, pragmatism, and proactive action, and carry out all epidemic‑prevention measures with scientific precision. In doing so, we will firmly safeguard the hard‑won achievements in epidemic control and fully implement the requirements of containing the pandemic, stabilizing the economy, and ensuring secure development.

　　As the pandemic persists and recurs, to win the tough battle of routine epidemic prevention and control and fulfill our duty to safeguard our communities, we must continuously strengthen our capacity for struggle through practice. We need to further hone our courage in shouldering responsibility, our wisdom in implementing scientific prevention and control, our strategic acumen in balancing competing priorities, and our ability to organize and execute effectively—demonstrating accountability and commitment as we tackle challenges head-on. We must be willing to invest painstaking effort and skill, adept at “playing the piano” with multiple strings in harmony, and ensure the thorough implementation of the twenty measures for further optimizing prevention and control. By doing so, we can carry out prevention and control more scientifically, more systematically, and more swiftly; make full use of existing resources; and boost overall efficiency. We must attend to every detail and deliver tangible results, thereby protecting people’s lives and health to the greatest extent possible while minimizing the impact of the pandemic on economic and social development.

　　To effectively carry out prevention and control efforts, we must strike a balance between firmness and compassion. We must keep the safety and well-being of the people at heart, go deep into the grassroots and frontline, seek truth from facts, deliver tangible results, and resolve pressing issues, thereby ensuring robust support for the people’s daily lives and production. We must earnestly meet the basic living needs of the public during the pandemic response, safeguard essential services such as medical care, and step up assistance to vulnerable groups—including the elderly, the infirm, the sick, and persons with disabilities—so as to address their real‑world difficulties and do our utmost to maintain normal production and work order. We should also ensure transparent and timely information dissemination, respond more effectively to legitimate public concerns, and provide sound ideological guidance and psychological support. In accordance with laws and regulations, we must uphold epidemic‑prevention order, resolutely avoid crude, heavy‑handed, or indifferent approaches, put ourselves in the people’s shoes, and refine and comprehensively plan our work. Only then can we truly safeguard overall social stability and rally powerful positive energy to combat the pandemic.

　　Great undertakings and pressing challenges reveal one’s sense of responsibility, while critical moments bring one’s true character to the fore. In the face of this major test—balancing epidemic prevention and control with economic and social development—Party organizations at all levels, along with the vast ranks of Party members and cadres, must further align their thinking and actions with the decisions and arrangements of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core. By shouldering responsibilities, committing their full strength, daring to fight, and fighting skillfully, they will surely prevail in the tough battle of routine epidemic prevention and control.

Source: Xinhua News Agency Editor-in-charge: Xu Haizhi