Xinhua News Agency Commentator: We have a duty to safeguard our territory, and we must fulfill that duty to the fullest.

　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 this 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 our work; we must remain vigilant at all times, and 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 earnest effort and proactive action, and carry out all epidemic‑prevention measures with scientific precision. In doing so, we will resolutely safeguard the hard‑won achievements in epidemic control and fully implement the requirements of containing the virus, 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 practical experience. 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, skillfully coordinate multiple tasks, and rigorously implement the twenty measures for further optimizing prevention and control, ensuring that our response is more scientific, more standardized, and more rapid. By making full use of existing resources and enhancing the efficiency of our efforts, we can address every detail with precision and deliver tangible results, thereby protecting people’s lives and health to the greatest extent possible and 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, doing our utmost to ensure the smooth functioning of daily life and production for the public. We must earnestly meet the basic living needs of the people during the epidemic response, safeguard essential services such as medical care, and step up support for vulnerable groups—including the elderly, the infirm, the sick, and persons with disabilities—so as to address their real‑world difficulties and do everything possible to maintain normal production and work order. We must 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 public health‑related order, resolutely reject simplistic, heavy‑handed, or callous approaches, put ourselves in the people’s shoes, and refine our work to be more meticulous and comprehensive. Only then can we truly safeguard overall social stability and rally powerful positive energy to combat the epidemic.

　　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 their 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