Identifying imported cases the focus now

That 63 confirmed infections of novel coronavirus from outside the country have been reported as of Saturday on the Chinese mainland points to the importance China will have to attach to efforts to guard against imported infections of the new virus.

Were it not for three new cases from Italy, Spain and Iran, all the provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities of China, except for Hubei province, would have had no new cases of infection on Saturday.

China's efforts to contain the spread of the virus have indeed paid off. Of all the 44 new cases on Saturday, 41 were in Wuhan, capital of Central China's Hubei province, the region hardest hit by the outbreak in China. Compared with the daily increase of hundreds of new cases in the city weeks ago, it is no exaggeration to conclude that the country's final triumph for the battle against the novel coronavirus is around the corner.

It is time for China to shift its virus control and prevention efforts to the screening of arrivals to detect imported cases. Now the virus has spread to more than 100 countries, it necessitates even more detailed and careful measures to screen both returning Chinese nationals and foreign visitors.

That some Chinese nationals have deliberately concealed their condition of being infected with symptoms on their way home from abroad have made it even harder for China to prevent imported cases from passing the virus on to more people.

Two Chinese nationals, a brother and sister, are now under criminal investigation for trying to cover up their conditions, having been possibly infected in Italy. They reportedly took medicine to lower their temperature before boarding the flight, and told lies when filling in the forms about their health conditions before passing through the customs. Both are now confirmed to be infected. They will face criminal charges for deliberately causing harm to others.

But despite the increasingly serious situation worldwide, China will not close its borders, which requires greater efforts on its part to screen all arrivals, both Chinese nationals and foreigners, to prevent the virus from being brought into the country.

The cooperation between individual Chinese citizens and the endeavors of the Chinese government in doing a good job in strictly implementing preventive measures has contributed tremendously to what China has achieved in its containment of the virus.

The same cooperation is undoubtedly needed from both foreign and Chinese passengers traveling to China from overseas. Which will not just facilitate China's virus control efforts but also protect them from being infected.

The virus respects no borders. Joint efforts, not just in a country but among countries, have never been so important as today to protect people's health.