More assistance for poor virus patients

The government will provide more assistance to impoverished novel coronavirus patients and their families, according to a notice issued by the Communist Party of China Central Committee's leading group on coping with the outbreak.

The assistance is part of the efforts to solve the urgent difficulties temporarily faced by some people during the epidemic and guarantee basic services, said the notice issued on March 7.

Temporary assistance should be offered to poor people with confirmed infections, and greater assistance should be provided to those with particular difficulties after review on a case-by-case basis, it said.

Local authorities should provide temporary assistance to households that face difficulties because their family members are quarantined or hospitalized.

As for nonresidents stranded by the epidemic, local authorities should provide temporary accommodation, food and clothing for them.

Migrant workers who are facing difficulties because they cannot find jobs, or receive family support due to the epidemic, should also be offered assistance, according to the notice.

It also stressed protection for the elderly, disabled and minors who do not have the ability to take care of themselves while their guardians are quarantined or receiving treatment for the virus.

Local authorities should keep in contact with and regularly visit the elderly, disabled and minors who are quarantined at home and provide them with assistance, it said.

The notice said that local authorities should also publicize help hotlines and run them smoothly to further improve assistance.

Investigators to assess resumption of work

Investigation and research teams will be sent to provincial-level regions to check progress on the resumption of work and production levels, as the novel coronavirus outbreak subsides.

The 29 teams will conduct the reviews this month, according to a notice issued by the general offices of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council on March 12.

The move aims to help the regions tackle problems arising during the work resumption process, and to help them achieve this year's economic and social development goals, the notice said.

The teams will guide and support local authorities to better facilitate services and help enterprises solve difficulties caused by the epidemic, such as labor shortages, financial stress, lack of raw materials and broken supply chains, it said.

They will also investigate transportation, the return and employment of migrant workers, the resumption of companies' production capacity, the construction of ongoing and new projects, the implementation of major foreign-funded projects and spring agricultural production.

According to the notice, a priority of the research is to investigate the implementation of government policies and measures, such as reduction and exemptions of enterprises' social insurance contributions and the provision of low-interest loans.