Wuhan sends 34,000 to help screen communities

WUHAN－Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak, has mobilized more than 34,000 officials, government workers and Communist Party of China members into its 1,100 communities to fight the epidemic.

The city committee of the CPC said on Tuesday the figure includes 16,700 employees of government units and State-owned enterprises who will join community workers in neighborhoods hit hard by the virus.

Working at their side will be another 17,700 CPC members, who will extend their reach to all communities and villages, according to the committee.

The latest round of mobilization came as the city's community workers were caught short-handed while combing communities in search of confirmed and suspected patients who authorities have vowed to offer timely diagnosis and treatment.

Ye Jun, a government worker in the city's Hongshan district, has become a temporary community worker for the Guangba Road community.

"I designed a WeChat mini-program on which residents can report the health condition of themselves and their family members," Ye said.

Ye also phones the residents, especially the elderly who don't use smartphones, to check their health condition.

"I make 100 to 200 phone calls every day," Ye said. "Some elderly people are anxious, so I chat with them about their daily lives to make them feel better."

Ye and other community workers also help residents buy vegetables and daily necessities and deliver them to their homes.

"The government employees and Party members help community workers disinfect the neighborhoods and take residents' temperatures," said Wang Bi, the community's local Party official.

Yang Duanhua, a worker with the district's judicial bureau who helps disinfect five seven-floor apartment units twice a day, noted some challenges with the protective gear.

"I usually like to have a cup of tea in the office, but it's inconvenient to go to the restroom when disinfecting the apartment buildings in my isolation gown, so I try to drink as little water as possible," Yang said. Wuhan, which has been on lockdown in an effort to contain the epidemic outbreak, has reported 18,454 confirmed cases.

By Sunday, the city had combed 3,371 residential communities and villages. A total of 10.5 million residents had been checked, representing a 99-percent screening rate.

"It's key to do epidemic prevention work in communities to win the battle against the novel coronavirus," said Chen Rongzhuo, an expert on community management and a professor at Central China Normal University.

Xinhua