Beijing pledges to ensure basic essentials for Xicheng residents under lockdown

A Beijing municipal government official on Tuesday pledged an all-out effort to ensure basic needs for people put on isolation in the capital's Xicheng district, where authorities spotted a locally transmitted COVID-19 patient.

Li Yi, deputy head of the Xicheng district, said authorities have put under lockdown a few residential communities near a produce market after an employee recently traveled to a novel coronavirus hotspot in southern Beijing and became infected.

Cleanup crews have been set up to take care of waste generated by residents on home isolation as part of a broader effort to curb infections, he said at a news conference organized by the Beijing municipal government.

Li noted community workers and volunteers would be deployed to deliver food and other basic supplies to residents.

People who need renal dialysis and other essential healthcare during the two-week lockdown would be transported to designated hospitals using designated vehicles, he said, adding neighborhood authorities would also help buy medication for people with chronic diseases.

Efforts would also be made to help graduating students in middle and high schools study at home, he added.