A number of ministry-level departments, including those responsible for housing, customs and healthcare, have responded recently to matters of public concern.

Rules to protect interests of tenants and landlords

A draft regulation designed to protect the lawful interests of tenants and landlords has been released by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development for public comment.

One of its provisions says the interior decoration of apartments should meet national standards and not pose a risk to tenants' health.

Landlords should not rent kitchens, bathrooms, balconies or basements for tenants to live in, and landlords should show their ID and real estate ownership certificates to tenants before a lease is signed. Tenants should also show their ID to landlords.

Landlords who collect deposits from tenants should include the amount collected and when it will be returned in contracts, and landlords should not enter a rented apartment without the tenant's consent, the draft says.

Landlords should also take on the responsibility of apartment maintenance unless they have agreed otherwise with tenants.

Tenants should abide by laws and regulations and not damage or dismantle fire safety facilities or make alterations to apartments' load-bearing structures, it says.

Real estate agents should not coax or force tenants into applying for loans to pay rents by offering rent discounts or other measures, and they must not include any mention of such loans in lease agreements.

Commercial banks that grant such loans should make sure the length of maturity does not exceed the duration of the lease, the draft regulation says.

Customs maintains guard on frozen food imports

A series of measures to strengthen management of imported frozen food in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic have been taken by the General Administration of Customs.

In a statement issued on Sept 8 the administration said it has notified or held teleconferences with authorities in 105 countries and regions since the pandemic began, asking that they prevent frozen food and its packaging contaminated with the novel coronavirus from being exported to China.

The administration has also conducted "remote sample tests" through video links, and had tested samples from 76 food companies in 30 countries and regions by Sept 7, it said.

By the same date, it had halted imports of frozen food from 56 food companies in 19 countries after their staff members were found to have contracted COVID-19, the statement said, adding that 41 of those companies had taken the initiative to suspend food exports to China.

Customs across China had tested more than 500,000 samples of imported frozen food by Sept 7, with the tests covering the food itself, the inner and outer packaging and the interior of containers, the administration said.

In July, six samples collected from the outer packaging and containers of food imported from Ecuador tested positive for the virus.

Plans cover depression, Alzheimer's disease

The National Health Commission has issued plans to help local health authorities improve their services in preventing and treating depression and Alzheimer's disease and carry out pilot programs for their implementation.

The plans said senior high schools and colleges should include screening for depression in students' health checkups and pay special attention to those with "abnormal results".

Such screening－conducted by trained medical or social workers－should also be included in common tests during pregnancy as well as home visits after women give birth.

Elderly people and people under great pressure from work are also key groups for intervention, according to the plans.

Mental health hospitals should support community health centers in providing mental health assessments for the elderly every year and offering counseling for the depressed.

Local authorities should also strengthen public education to help more people learn about depression, and each city should have at least one hotline providing mental health intervention services around the clock.

As for intervention in cases of Alzheimer's disease, the plans said facilities that care for the elderly should conduct regular assessments to detect people with the disease.

Experts from large hospitals should help grassroots health facilities diagnose patients, formulate treatment plans and conduct follow-up visits.