Life must come first in case of emergency

The earthquake that hit Luding county in Southwest China's Sichuan province on Monday has already claimed 66 lives, and injured over 200 people, while 15 have gone missing.

On WeChat, a snapshot showing a manager of a realty company reportedly asking residents not to rush out during the earthquake at a community center in Chenghua zone of Chengdu, near Luding, has gone viral.

Some residents of the community said on Tuesday that the manager is a friend of theirs and she was merely joking. But that has done little to shield her from the barrage of hostile online comments and phone calls.

The public anger against her has its roots in people being tired of the strict anti-pandemic measures. With so many reports of inconveniences people have faced in locked-down communities, the slightest of provocations is enough to make them vent their ire. That's why the perception that people were not being allowed to escape a natural calamity made some lose their cool.

Breaking such perceptions will require more efforts from all sides. The public will need to understand that all measures, whether against the pandemic or against an earthquake, are taken to save people's lives. Even if they cause a lot of inconvenience, they are worth it if they save lives.

Governments in provinces that are quake-prone, such as Sichuan, must take extra precautions in case of an emergency. For example, it is necessary for buildings to have emergency exits so that in case of a fire or earthquake people can escape easily.

Anti-pandemic staff workers must remember that "life comes first" while implementing their measures. So when they are locking down a building, they must ensure food supplies. When moving a building's residents to hotels or for quarantining, they should let the people know when and under what conditions they can return home.

Only in such a way can the anti-pandemic workers win people's trust. That's a prerequisite for winning against any calamity, be it the pandemic or an earthquake.