A few days ago, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Health Commission jointly held two video conferences, inviting experts in the fields of disease control, clinics, customs, civil aviation, and community management to share China’s experience in fighting COVID-19 with government officials and health experts from Central and Eastern European (CEE), and Latin American and Caribbean countries. At the invitation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, experts chosen by the government of Beijing visited the Municipal Foreign Affairs Office to attend the video meetings at the sub-venue and introduce community-based epidemic prevention and control measures and their effectiveness.
Main meeting venue at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Meeting sub-venue at the Foreign Affairs Office of the People’s Government of Beijing Municipality
The Municipal Foreign Affairs Office and the community-based epidemic prevention and control team invited Pan Ruifeng, director of the Xibianmen Dongli Neighborhood Committee of Guang’anmen Sub-district in Xicheng District to speak on behalf of Beijing. Ms. Pan has rich experience in community management and has polished her speech for better presentation. She introduced measures adopted by Beijing in relation to community investigation, anti-epidemic supplies, home-based observation, volunteer services, and smart services, answered questions raised by foreign attendees, and shared stories in Beijing’s epidemic prevention and control.
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Presentation at the meeting sub-venue at the Foreign Affairs Office
Foreign attendees said that they thought Beijing’s community-based measures are meticulous and effective, and the city’s citizens have displayed unimaginable levels of solidarity in the fight against COVID-19. They said their countries could benefit from what Beijing has done, including keeping a community ledger to monitor the situation regarding COVID-19 and encouraging community volunteers to provide support for residents who stay at home for a required observation period, making sure no one is left unattended to.
Foreign attendees
The virus knows no borders, and people should be united to win the fight against it. With the spread of the epidemic across the world, countries have strengthened their prevention and control measures. Beijing has gained some experience in its response in early stages and is willing to share them with other countries, and strengthen cooperation with other countries to fight the virus together.
Additional Information
Who is the expert on community-based epidemic prevention and control?
Pan Ruifeng, Party Committee Secretary and Neighborhood Committee Director of Xibianmen Dongli Community, Guang’anmennei Sub-district, Xicheng District, Beijing, and delegate to the 19th CPC National Congress. She has led residents in community action against the epidemic, including providing support for residents staying at home for observation and mobilizing communities to build a strong line of defense, and played an important role in curbing the spread of COVID-19 in the community.
What community-based measures has Beijing taken to control the spread of COVID-19?
1.Giving full play to the strong organization and mobilization capabilities of communities
(i) Taking targeted epidemic prevention and control measures; (ii) conducting meticulous community resident surveys; and (iii) carefully planning the provision and delivery of supplies.
2.Building a rigorous epidemic prevention and control network that puts life first
(i) Strengthening community management; (ii) conducting meticulous community surveys; and (iii) stepping up the measures for home-based observation.
3.Building a cohesive community
(i) Implementing inter-department cooperation mechanism in service provision; (ii) delivering “smart” services; and (iii) providing community services.
