Vice premier says China not loosening COVID response

SHIJIAZHUANG, July 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Sun Chunlan has said the country's latest COVID-19 response protocols require better precision in delivering prevention and control measures and fixing loopholes rather than letting down the guard.

Sun, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks during her inspection in Hebei Province from Monday to Tuesday to check the province's epidemic prevention and control measures.

Sun reiterated unswervingly adhering to the country's dynamic zero-COVID policy and emphasized rapid response to handle outbreaks in the shortest time and with minimum costs to ensure that the epidemic is under control, the economy stabilizes, and the development is secure.

She praised Hebei for maintaining zero community-level infections for a relatively long period of time and asked local authorities to remain vigilant and stamp out any community-level outbreak in a timely and resolute manner.