The State Council released a circular on Feb 28 urging prevention and control of the COVID-19 outbreak in civil service institutions including old-age care institutions, child welfare institutions, juvenile rescue and protection agencies, mental health welfare agencies, and rescue and management organizations for vagrants and beggars.

Any infections in clusters must be prevented in these institutions, the circular said.

In addition, local governments should increase medical and nursing forces as soon as possible to support undermanned civil service agencies that are weak in preventing the epidemic.

The institutions in Hubei province, Wuhan city, and regions worst hit by the epidemic should be equipped with prevention and control materials in accordance with level-III protection standard to meet their needs in epidemic prevention and control.

The circular also urged medical institutes to detect and report infections in those agencies as soon as possible to ensure early quarantine and treatment, making sure as many patients as possible will be detected, admitted to hospital and treated.

Safety and health of special group like the elderly, children, people with mental disorders, vagrants and beggars should be guaranteed, it said.

Local governments should pay visits to the quarantined elderly that live alone, old people and minors who have been left unattended because their families have been quarantined, orphans, and left-behind children and seniors, and provide them help, the circular urged.