Chinese leader Xi Jinping called for greater efforts to fight Covid in a pre-holiday video call with people in rural areas, breaking with precedent by holding the event virtually instead of making an in-person visit. 

Xi said the current outbreak has been “fierce” and China still faced tough tasks, state broadcaster China Central Television reported late Wednesday. The country’s Covid fight required perseverance as “dawn is just ahead,” he said.

The president said he was especially worried about epidemic control in rural areas. Xi called on local authorities in the countryside to improve medical care and protect people’s health to the greatest extent possible. 

The video call was unusual because Xi has made in-person visits to rural areas before the Lunar New Year holiday every year since taking power in 2012. Xi acknowledged he was breaking with that tradition, saying: “This year, I&rsq