Alterations to homes to improve seniors' lives

During the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) period, China plans to alter the interiors of 2 million homes for seniors who are at an advanced age, are unable to care for themselves or who have disabilities.

According to a notice issued on Feb 24 by Chinese authorities, including the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the move is part of efforts to improve safety and convenience for older adults living at home to promote home-based elder care services.

China has 264 million people aged 60 and up, accounting for 18.7 percent of its 1.4 billion population, according to the seventh population census conducted in 2020. The senior population is expected to surpass 300 million during the 14th Five-Year Plan period.

The alterations will facilitate indoor movement, safe toilet and bath access, and introduce easy-to-use kitchens, assistive devices and other home improvements.

While civil affairs authorities are taking the lead in implementing the plan, financial authorities are instructed to provide funding for the alterations and supervise spending.

The notice added that regions are encouraged to carry out the alterations simultaneously with renovation of aging urban residential communities and dilapidated houses in rural areas.

Campaign targets sales of e-cigarettes to youth

The Ministry of Public Security and three other departments have jointly launched a campaign to crack down on the sale of electronic cigarettes to children and other related crimes, according to a working plan published on Feb 22.

The move aims to protect the physical and psychological health of minors.

The campaign, which runs through April, includes a series of tough measures including closing e-cigarette sales outlets and vending machines around schools, deleting harmful information about the sale of such products online and cracking down on unlicensed vendors.

Authorities have mandated a sweep of e-cigarette sales outlets around schools and spot checks at places frequented by minors, such as amusement parks, to see whether e-cigarettes are being illegally sold.

In addition, people involved in adding drugs to e-cigarette liquids will be severely punished, and thorough investigations will be made to uncover the source of such crimes.

The plan also said that primary and secondary schools must explain the harm e-cigarettes can cause during safety education courses to help raise student awareness.