All Hands on Deck

　　After a month of control measures, regionsoutside Hubei Province in centralChina have begun to report fewer oreven zero novel coronavirus infectionswhile the number of cured patientsdischarged from hospitals is increasing.

　　Businesses and other organizations arerestarting work in an orderly and securedway amid strengthened epidemiccontrol.

　　Even in Hubei, the most affectedprovince during the outbreak, the numberof newly confirmed and suspectedcases is decreasing.

　　However, while the situation inChina is improving, there are signs ofalarm in other countries. More countriesand regions have reported increasingCOVID-19 cases. The number of confirmedcases in Japan, the Republic ofKorea, the United States, Italy and Iranhas been rising despite lesser knownlinks with the outbreak in China.

　　Though COVID-19 broke out inChina, diseases know no borders, racesor nationalities. If the epidemic becomesa pandemic, the consequences wouldbe enormous for everyone.

　　The World Health Organization (WHO)declared the outbreak a public healthemergency of international concern dueto the fear that the virus could spreadto other countries, especially those withfragile public health systems, and hasurged the international community tounite in the fi ght against the virus.

　　However, the international communitystill doesn’t seem to be heeding thecall with some still voicing discriminatoryviews against China. They shouldrealize that the increasing number ofCOVID-19 cases worldwide shows the urgencyfor the global community to pulltogether. In an era when technologieshave greatly reduced physical distancesand barriers, no country can afford to becomplacent about its safety in the faceof unconventional security challengeslike viral outbreaks.

　　Now is the time for all to join thefight. Once the window closes, it mightbe too late. The international communityshould seize the opportunity to controlthe epidemic while China can provideuseful and proven experience in fi ghtingit.

　　The idea of a community with ashared future for humanity can be usedas a guideline for disease prevention andcontrol in the era of globalization. Theimplementation of this concept is essentialto the success of global efforts tocounter the epidemic.

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