According to reports, many cities nationwide have issued penalties to those individuals who fail to have nucleic acid tests without good reason. Some have been detained; some have been given a bad record in the national personal credit system; while some have even had their names published by local media outlets.

Since the Omicron variants of the COVID-19 virus, featuring higher infection rates and higher spreading velocity, have appeared in China and cast heavier pressure upon the pandemic prevention and control efforts, it is a necessary move for cities to normalize the nucleic acid test regime, so as to cut the transmission channels for the virus as quickly as possible.

However, some cities have been improperly making moves against the guiding instructions of the central leadership. Such practices must be curbed.
A few weeks ago the State Council, China's Cabinet, issued "nine don'ts" for local governments, firmly forbidding such improper deeds. The "nine don'ts" mean to protect local residents' rights.

Detaining people as a kind of judicial penalty must be used with the uttermost care, and only be applied to those who are confirmed to have broken the law. Only the law enforcement departments have the power to do this. If any local government detains those who have not taken nucleic acid tests without any reason that would be a violation of those individuals' rights.

The national personal credit system is an essential system for prompting people to cherish their credit and improve the smooth operation of society. If someone gets a bad record in the personal credit system, that will be a heavy blow to him or her. Which makes it important to set up clear rules on what deeds should be recorded in the personal credit system and what deeds should be considered as being worthy of a bad record.

It's time for the higher authorities to take moves to stop the improper deeds of local governments.