Foreigners in Beijing included in community health management

Foreigners in Beijing are included in the city's community health management system as part of its efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus, local authorities said on March 9.

Grassroots community workers have provided foreigners in Beijing with necessary support and assistance while fully considering their concerns and respecting their religious beliefs and customs, Li Hui, deputy director of Beijing's foreign affairs office, told a press conference on March 9.

Currently, the municipal government's hotline 12345, emergency hotline 120 and the hotline for the capital airport are all available in eight languages, Li said.

The official website of Beijing's foreign affairs office has opened a column in eight languages for daily updates on the COVID-19 cases in the capital. "Beijing Waishi," its official account on China's social media platform WeChat, also provides the latest policies and information about the respiratory virus, Li added.

Beijing reported no new confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection on March 8. Two new confirmed cases were reported on March 7, both of which were imported cases, from Italy and Spain, respectively.

The two confirmed cases have been transferred to designated medical institutions for treatment in Beijing, said the municipal health commission.

As of March 8, a total of 428 infections had been reported in Beijing, including 13 imported cases from overseas.