Shenzhen social workers, groups lauded for roles in pandemic battle

Social organizations and workers in Shenzhen have played an active role in helping to combat the coronavirus pandemic, providing financial support and social and psychological services to those in need, officials said.

Nearly 5,000 social workers from 47 organizations in Shenzhen took part in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic during the Lunar New Year holiday.

Apart from providing offline services to local residents, such as body temperature checks and the purchase and delivery of goods, the city's social workers also carried out online services, Zhang Zhuohua, deputy director and secretary-general of the Shenzhen Social Workers Association, said at a press conference on Thursday.

Through phone hotlines, WeChat groups and other online channels, they provided consulting services and offered comfort to people, especially those who returned from Central China's Hubei province, where the coronavirus first emerged, and were put in quarantine, Zhang said.

Charity groups in Shenzhen also have been an active force. As of June 5, the total value of money and goods received and donated by Shenzhen amounted to more than three billion yuan ($424 million), Liu Guoling, executive deputy director and secretary-general of Shenzhen Charity Alliance, said.

The alliance will make more efforts to further increase the transparency of information and enhance self-discipline awareness among workers in the industry, she said.

Liao Yuanfei, head of the Shenzhen Civil Affairs Bureau, said the task of controlling the coronavirus pandemic is still tough. The department will improve its policies according to the changing situation and do a good job implementing them.

In addition, the Civil Affairs Department will continue to encourage charity organizations, enterprises and citizens to donate, guide and supervise charity groups to carry out charity activities in accordance with specific demand, he added.