Introduction
On 27 August 2019, only a few months before the onslaught of Covid-19, an outbreak of dengue fever erupted in Shenzhen’s Tongxinling community. Since the patient had no travel history, the disease must have been locally transmitted. The authorities responded quickly: the Shenzhen Centre for Disease Control designated the patient’s community as “high risk” and recommended the eradication of mosquitos in the residential compound. Acting on this, the Tongxinling Urban Community Work Station, the local sanitation office, the district’s disease control office, law enforcement, and other agencies joined forces to formulate a plan. A local company was tasked with eradicating mosquitos. Led by grid members (wanggeyuan 網格員) who mobilised relevant property management agencies, they visited more than 800 apartments, publicised disease prevention knowledge, and explained the necessity for spraying the area. The work was completed in the afternoon of 28 August.
This tiny vignette high...