Photo: VCG

The COVID-19 epidemic prevention and control command in Echeng district in Ezhou, Central China's Hubei Province, launched on Sunday the implementation of the COVID-19 vaccination "zero clearing" campaign, requiring all minors between 12 and 17 years old and adults over 18 years old without contraindications to be vaccinated within 10 days, claiming that those who do not have a valid reason to receive the vaccine will damage to their personal in integrity record.

In the announcement of the clearance operation issued on Sunday, authorities in Echeng district called on those without contraindications to complete their vaccination as soon as possible to minimize the risk of infection and build a universal immune barrier. Those who do not have a valid reason to receive the COVID-19 vaccine will have a annotation in their personal credit records, local media reported.

The Global Times learned that on Tuesday that the people's government of Echeng district issued the announcement on it official website asking local authorities to conduct detailed and comprehensive checks on the vaccination records of employees in key public places, such as medical institutions, stations, docks, markets, tourist attractions, hotels and guesthouses. Public officials   will educate and control those who have not been vaccinated. according to regulations.

The measure that links vaccination with personal credit records has sparked heated discussion on Chinese social media platforms. Some netizens agree with this approach, saying it is a good way to urge people who have not been vaccinated to take action. Only vaccination can slow down the spread of the virus and allow people to return to normal life as soon as possible. Others argued that vaccination is not necessarily related to personal integrity. 

At present, the announcement of "zero clearing" campaign has been removed from the website of the Echeng District People's Government.

During a press conference in April, China's National Health Commission mentioned that in response to the phenomenon of one-size-fits-all vaccination policy in some places, the principle of voluntariness should be adhered to in the COVID-19 vaccination work, calling on local authorities to guide and encourage people to actively vaccinate on the basis of full notification.