1,795 virus cases found in various Wuhan institutions

A total of 1,795 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus have been reported in various institutions in Wuhan, the capital city of Hubei province, as of March 5, according to the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.

Another 164 suspected cases were also reported in these places including prisons, detention centers, reformatories for juvenile delinquents, nursing homes, welfare institutions and mental hospitals in Wuhan, the official website of the commission said.

When supervising the epidemic prevention and control work in these places on March 6, Chen Yixin, secretary-general of the commission, stressed that the current situation of epidemic prevention and control in Wuhan continues to improve, but such a task is still arduous, especially given potential risks in these institutions.

Chen, also deputy head of a central government group to guide epidemic control work in Hubei province, called on relevant departments to strengthen work on weak links such as gathering epidemic data and the construction of places for medical treatment and isolation.

He urged the departments to address such prominent problems as the shortage of police forces in prisons and detention centers, the personal health protection of police officers, isolating suspected patients and insufficient medical care in psychiatric hospitals.

Chen asked the authorities to strictly carry out 24-hour closed management measures. The epidemic prevention, medical aid and material support personnel who must enter these institutions must accept a nucleic acid test and temperature testing in advance. Case handling, lawyer meetings and family visits need should be carried out online to block all transmission routes.

All detainees must be kept in isolation for 14 days before their release. And after they go through the release procedures according to law, relevant departments must coordinate with them to arrange quarantine in specific places until the end of the epidemic, Chen added.