Home care standards for seniors introduced

A guideline laying out standards for home care for elderly people was recently published.

Titled "Basic Specification for At-Home Care Services of the Elderly", the document requires care givers to undergo training before providing such care. They should acquire a health certificate and familiarize themselves with related laws and regulations, as well as the basic skills needed to perform such services.

They should also have strong communication skills and master basic emergency response skills, among others.

The guideline was released on the Ministry of Civil Affairs' website. Ministry official Zhen Bingliang said it is the first national standard China has issued for home care services for elderly people.

China has a large population of seniors, most of whom have chosen to receive care at home, creating a huge demand for home care services, Zhen said, adding that there is an urgent need to standardize such services.

The ministry will encourage local authorities to implement the guideline effectively, and will come up with more specific standards in due course, Zhen said.

Tourism projects asked to join national effort

Three central government bodies — the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology — jointly issued a notice asking more tourism projects to participate in an effort to develop smart and immersive tourism.

Smart and immersive tourism features technologies such as augmented reality, virtual reality and artificial intelligence, and gives tourists a sense of in-depth interaction, said the notice, which was released earlier this month.

Tourism projects that apply to participate should be based on digital technologies, equipped with advanced facilities and be highly innovative, among other requirements, according to the notice.

Projects that successfully join will enjoy support from the three government bodies in project development, talent development and in other areas.

In March, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism issued a similar notice to encourage tourism projects nationwide to join the effort. As of August, 24 have joined.

Ministry aims to expand 5G network coverage

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will speed up the expansion of 5G network coverage in cities at the prefecture level and above, and gradually expand coverage in counties and towns, said Vice-Minister Zhang Yunming.

Zhang, who made the remark at the 2023 China 5G Development Conference in Shanghai earlier this month, said the ministry will continue to promote the innovation of 5G technology.

China has built the largest 5G network in the world, the ministry said. By the end of September, the country had built more than 3 million 5G base stations, and the number of its 5G mobile phone users exceeded 700 million, according to the ministry.