【明報專訊】As COVID-19 infections have begun to subside in Hong Kong, the government has loosened the anti-pandemic restrictions for some types of venues. The quarantine period for inbound travellers from regions of middle to low risks can also be shortened. It is of course everyone's wish for the economy and people's livelihood to return to normal as early as possible, but the steps towards that end must be made cautiously. The government has strived hard for months to achieve ''zero infections'' and a glimmer of hope is finally on the horizon. At this critical moment, we must act cautiously every step of the way. The re-emergence of a local infection case of unclear origin yesterday (March 29) shows that there are still chains of asymptomatic transmission in the community. As the long holiday spanning the Ching Ming Festival and Easter is coming, we must be strictly on guard against a fifth wave of infections. It is true that people in all trades want to return to normal and every household has their own wish. But the government must give the highest consideration to ''preventing an internal rebound'' of infections when relaxing social distancing measures. In view of the volatility of the pandemic outside Hong Kong and the fact that the virus variants ravaging many countries are particularly contagious, the loosening of quarantine requirements for travellers from some regions must be handled with extra caution. Any loophole in the prevention of imported infections could spoil all previous hard work.