Henan: We must fully prepare for a major epidemic this winter and next spring.

Zhengzhou adjusts its control and management strategies to restore normal order, while Henan province calls for thorough preparations to prevent a major epidemic this winter and next spring.

On November 1, 2022, the Office of the Zhengzhou COVID-19 Prevention and Control Command in Henan Province issued the “Notice on Adjusting Controlled Areas to Gradually Restore Normal Production and Living Order” (hereinafter referred to as the “Notice”). According to the current epidemic prevention and control situation and after careful assessment, the Zhengzhou COVID-19 Prevention and Control Command decided that, starting from 6:00 a.m. on November 1, the existing controlled areas would be lifted, the control strategies would be adjusted, and normal production and living order would be gradually restored.

The Notice states that, effective from the date of its publication, all temporary control zones designated by various development zones and districts/counties (cities) in Zhengzhou to prevent spillover effects will be lifted. The temporary control zones in Zhongyuan District, Erqi District, and the High-tech Zone will be adjusted accordingly. Within the temporary control zones aimed at preventing spillover, medium- and high-risk areas will be precisely delineated. Throughout the entire jurisdiction (excluding the temporary control zones aimed at preventing spillover), risk residential communities (communities with risks within the past 7 days) and risk residential units (units with risks within the past 7 days) will be precisely identified.

On October 27, the Zhengzhou City COVID-19 Prevention and Control Command issued a Q&A briefing stating that Zhengzhou’s current epidemic-related control zones are divided into three categories. In addition to medium- and high-risk areas, these include temporary lockdown and control zones as well as temporary control zones aimed at preventing the spread of the virus beyond their boundaries. Among these, the temporary control zones designed to prevent outward spread are areas that have been appropriately expanded beyond the original medium- and high-risk zones and temporary lockdown and control zones, with management measures similar to those applied in medium-risk areas—namely, "staying within the zone (residential community) and staggering pick-up times for essential supplies." For control zones with higher epidemic risks, Zhengzhou will take strong measures to achieve zero-COVID status in the community as soon as possible.

The Notice requires that, throughout Zhengzhou—except for the temporary control zones aimed at preventing spillover, high-risk residential communities, and high-risk units—normal production and living order be restored and routine epidemic prevention and control measures be implemented. Residents are urged to conscientiously comply with epidemic prevention requirements: wear masks, scan codes, present a negative nucleic acid test result valid within 24 hours when traveling, and refrain from visiting areas associated with COVID-19 cases.

According to a report from "Zhengzhou Release," on October 30 and 31, An Wei, a member of the Standing Committee of the Henan Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of the Zhengzhou Municipal Party Committee, chaired a video conference on city-wide epidemic prevention and control work. He emphasized that we should take "tracing positive cases" as the driving force, focus primarily on achieving zero COVID-19 cases in the community, and aim at restoring the normal order of urban production and life as soon as possible. We should adjust prevention and control strategies and tactics in a timely manner, deploy resources scientifically and rationally, deepen and refine prevention and control measures, and comprehensively enhance the precision of management. Our goal is to ensure that "relaxation is standardized and orderly, and management is precise and effective," thereby restoring social order, achieving precise and scientific epidemic control, and maintaining dynamic zero-COVID status.

According to a report by the Henan Daily, on October 31, the 20th special meeting of the Henan Provincial Party Committee on COVID-19 prevention and control was held to analyze and assess the current situation and to make arrangements for the ongoing prevention and control efforts as well as for this coming winter and spring. Lou Yangsheng, Secretary of the Henan Provincial Party Committee, pointed out that we must firmly adhere to the overall strategy of "preventing imported cases and guarding against domestic resurgences" and the general policy of "dynamic zero-COVID," continuously optimizing and refining prevention and control measures in light of changing circumstances. We must make thorough preparations—intellectually, operationally, in terms of personnel, and in terms of supplies—for preventing a major epidemic this coming winter and spring. We must resolutely overcome any complacency, slackening of vigilance, war-weariness, or wait-and-see attitudes. We must fully implement the requirements of strictness, rigor, meticulousness, and practicality, and strictly enforce the specific strategies of containing outbreaks, sealing off affected areas, thoroughly tracing and eliminating sources of infection, and making every effort to safeguard the lives and health of the people.

Henan Province Governor Wang Kai emphasized that the current large-scale outbreaks in some areas must be brought under control as soon as possible. We must avoid imposing indiscriminate, long-term lockdowns on entire residential communities simply because of isolated outbreak hotspots, so that cities can gradually regain their vitality. We need to firmly hold enterprises accountable for their own epidemic prevention responsibilities, strengthen living support for employees who remain on duty, and promptly provide targeted management and services for people returning home, thereby preventing the spread of the epidemic beyond affected areas.

According to a report from the Henan Provincial Health Commission, from 0:00 to 24:00 on October 31, Henan Province reported 13 new locally confirmed cases (all 13 in Zhengzhou City, of which 7 were detected through screening of key populations and 6 were identified during isolation and control measures). Additionally, 91 new locally asymptomatic infections were reported (82 in Zhengzhou City, of which 64 were detected during isolation and control measures and 18 were identified through screening of key populations; 8 in Nanyang City and 1 in Shangqiu City, all among individuals returning from other regions under point-to-point closed-loop management).

As of 24:00 on October 31, 2022, Henan Province had 133 hospitalized cases (all locally transmitted), and 485 asymptomatic infections still under medical observation (461 locally transmitted cases and 24 imported from overseas).

Interface News noted that on October 31, the official WeChat public account of the Zhengzhou Municipal Health Commission published an article titled “COVID-19 Is Not Scary—It’s Preventable and Treatable: Zhengzhou’s Leading Experts Provide Answers.” The article introduced that the Zhengzhou Municipal Health Commission had invited experts from the First People’s Hospital of Zhengzhou, the Zhengzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Zhengzhou Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital to answer questions related to COVID-19 prevention and control.

How should we take medication after being infected with COVID-19? Experts say that COVID-19 infection is a self-limiting illness, so there’s no need to panic excessively. After infection, depending on the condition and symptoms, you can choose oral traditional Chinese medicines such as Huoxiang Zhengqi Capsules (or liquid), Lianhua Qingwen Granules (or capsules), Jinhua Qinggan Granules, and Shufeng Jiedu Capsules (or granules) under the guidance of a specialist physician. At the same time, ensuring adequate sleep, drinking plenty of water, keeping your mood positive, and maintaining a regular diet can all help speed up recovery from the illness.