Editor's Note: The following article is taken from the Chinese-language opinion column "The Real Point."

In late January, Cao Wenfang, who has been studying for a doctoral degree at the University of Padova, Italy, returned to Wuhan for a family reunion. But due to the COVID-19 outbreak, she could not return to Italy in time for the oral defense of her dissertation.

As a result, the school arranged a special defense session for her via video conferencing in mid-February. Cao successfully obtained her PhD degree without having to step out of her home.

Like Cao Wenfang, millions of residents in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, have been trying to limit their activities within the city or stay at home in line with the government's instruction in a bid to contain the spread of the virus, as a mark of respect for the interests of the general public in China and the rest of the world.

Michael Ryan, executive director of the World Health Organization Health Emergencies Programme, said Tuesday that it was the control measures implemented at the epicenter of the outbreak that has made the continuous decrease of infected cases possible. He noted that "right now the strategic and tactical approach in China is the correct one.

"Sylvie Briand, head of the WHO's Global Infectious Hazard Preparedness division, said China's "measures on movement restriction have delayed the dissemination of the outbreak by two or three days within China, and two to three weeks outside China.

WHO Director General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said it was "a window of opportunity" that shouldn't be squandered.

Also on Tuesday, The Lancet published a statement, saying that "since the outbreak, Chinese scientific research, public health and medical workers have worked hard and efficiently. It is commendable to work to quickly identify pathogens, take major measures to reduce the impact of the epidemic, and transparently share information and results with the global health community."

Despite the professional evaluation of what China has been doing to contain the virus, some western media were obsessed with calling the necessary control measures "one of the biggest social control campaigns in history," politicizing this issue in disregard of the global public interest.

For humanity, the awareness, understanding and prevention of any new disease is a process of gradual exploration. In this process, maximizing the public interest at a necessary price is an unavoidable option, which is usually temporary and unconventional.

A similar scenario was staged in New York last year following a measles outbreak. The city ordered mandatory vaccinations in one neighborhood for people who might have been exposed to the virus. People who ignored the order could be fined 1,000 dollars.

People who had been diagnosed with measles or any unvaccinated person who was exposed to a person diagnosed with measles were also banned from visiting public places for up to 21 days. Those who broke the order could face fines of up to 2,000 dollars per violation per day.

In a civilized society, the general public's interests should always come as a priority to be protected and respected. What China has been doing to protect the global public's interests reflects the progress made in its society.

Robert Daly, director of the Wilson Center's Kissinger Institute on China and the United States, said recently that "What we're seeing is some tendency, with reference to the coronavirus, for the bad China narrative to eclipse the human sympathy narrative.

" In a globalized world with a shared future, no one can stand aside from the threat of the epidemic. The international community's concerted efforts to safeguard the public interest should not be weighed down by those who spare no effort to spread the virus of political prejudice.