Covid-19 pandemic: Certainly not a time to relax yet in China

The threat of Covid-19 pandemic in China, where the virus first originated last December, is still real with more areas being added to medium-risk zones recently.

"Prior to the latest infections found in Chengdu, Sichuan province, there were only seven high and medium-risk areas nationwide, all in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region. Now there are 10, counting the newly added medium-risk communities in Chengdu, with a decision pending on the Thursday report of two domestic infections in Dongning and Suifenhe, Heilongjiang province," a China Daily/Asia News Network report has revealed.

The new information suggests that the Chengdu infections are a cause for concern because their source remains a mystery.

"The riddle over their source will likely make many more people rethink their holiday plans and result in the immediate cancellation of many planned trips to the tourist hot spot," the report said.

It is certainly not a time to relax yet.

"But there is something to learn from the pandemic's latest lesson in Chengdu. What happened to one woman who was one of the people infected, exposed a stunning lack of respect for individual privacy and broader rights. Because she reported that she had visited multiple public entertainment venues before being diagnosed, she got trolled, with her personal information dug out and posted on the internet," said the report.

This, along with the constant requests for personal information since the onset of the pandemic and the use of facial recognition technologies, has triggered much debate about the right to privacy the news report said..