Handling of students' belongings in makeshift wards raises attention

The news about personal belongings of some Wuhan college students being randomly tossed outside their dormitories－which were being requisitioned as temporary wards for patients infected with the novel coronavirus and suspected cases－has gone viral and invited widespread criticism.

More than 10 colleges in Wuhan have been requisitioned, with students' dormitories turned into temporary wards.

This is a totally reasonable move under the country's Emergency Response Law, which stipulates that local authorities can requisition properties of organizations and/or individuals to cope with emergencies and return them or pay compensation after the emergency is over.

A majority of students back the authorities and colleges' decision to requisition their dormitories for emergency work, but what they are unhappy about is how some colleges implemented the decision.

Some students of Wuhan Vocational College of Software and Engineering said they were not even told beforehand about their dormitories being requisitioned. Video clips showing students' belongings being destroyed or tossed outside sparked widespread criticism from students and netizens.

A majority of people understand the difficulty in implementing some emergency measures in the fight against the novel coronavirus. But despite the limited time within which to convert dormitories into temporary wards, the authorities could have done better by properly safeguarding students' belongings.

At Jianghan University, for instance, teachers and staff collected the personal belongings for safekeeping and posted pictures of the requisitioned dormitory online, winning wide acclaim.

Following widespread criticism, Wuhan Vocational College of Software and Engineering issued a letter of apology for its mishandling of the situation and promised to compensate students for losses incurred and also to properly sterilize the dormitories before they return.

Fighting the virus requires joint efforts by different sections of society. Such emergency scenarios are a test of local authorities and organizations' administrative capacity. It is therefore imperative that local authorities improve their emergency handling capacity to eventually win the battle.

Wang Yiqing, China Daily