Cities lock down communities to curb virus spread

A number of Chinese cities have adopted temporary emergency measures to close off residential communities to help curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.

In Wenzhou, a city of more than 8 million people in Zhejiang province, each household has been allowed to designate one person to go out to buy household supplies every two days since Feb 2, the local government said in a statement. It was the first city in China to adopt such restrictions.

The city announced on Saturday it would to prolong the measures for another week.

Wenzhou has witnessed a decrease in the number of new cases of novel coronavirus infection since adopting the measures, down from 50 to around 10 a day.

The city reported 10 new cases on Sunday, taking the number of patients to 448, of whom 70 have recovered.

In Zhoushan, an island city in Zhejiang, a community compound has been on lockdown since late January, with the property management company and a local food and vegetable supplier helping deliver daily necessities to households.

Each household can post a list in the community WeChat group and their food will be delivered to their door once every three days.

Zhoushan has reported no new cases of novel coronavirus infection for nine days.

In Tianjin, which had 79 confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection by noon on Friday, the authorities announced the comprehensive closure of local residential communities late on Thursday.

"Locals, including the foreigners, are supportive of the decision," said Du Peng, a staff member of the Teda Street community in Tianjin's Binhai New Area, where more than 300 foreigners live.

At least 20 provinces or cities in China had adopted similar management measures in their communities by Friday.

Tangshan, Hebei province, announced on Thursday it was implementing 10 measures to intensify control of the virus' spread, including stricter management of the entry and exit of vehicles and individuals in living and working areas.

People are required to show their identity cards and have their temperatures checked when they enter or leave the neighborhoods where they live, as well as the companies where they work. The entry of nonresidents and vehicles will be rigorously controlled, the city government said.

Public places in Tangshan will be closed, excluding those directly related to people's daily lives, and food markets, pharmacies and supermarkets will be disinfected regularly. Residential areas where a confirmed case of novel coronavirus infection is found will be locked down.

The authorities in Bazhong, a city in Sichuan province, said in a notice issued on Thursday that every village, residential community and workplace had been asked to deploy more than two staff members to guard their entrances and exits, with all nonresidents and their vehicles denied entry.

Bazhong also closed off villages and residential buildings where confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection have been found. The government said management teams from local villages and communities should purchase food and daily necessities for people living in such places.

To encourage participation in the fight against the epidemic, Danzhou, in Hainan province, proposed an incentive policy on Thursday, along with measures designed to manage villages, communities and workplaces more strictly.

A statement released by the city government said anyone who provided valid clues about actions that were contrary to epidemic prevention rules would be rewarded with 10 face masks.