Q&A - Part 30

(Continued from June 16, 2020)

Moreover, it took about one hour to put on and take off PPE. For the sake of saving both equipment and time to diagnose and treat more patients, nurses worked 6 hours or even longer. In fact, working for 6 hours in heavy protective equipment is physically demanding. The protective effect may also decrease if the protective clothing is used for more than 4 hours. In addition, wearing PPE for a long time can easily cause condensation on protective goggles, facial indentations and even skin diseases, undermining the implementation of nursing tasks. As protective clothing supplies increased, the duration of nurses’ work was shortened.

The third is related to work intensity. Nurses in ICU or infection departments usually have more workload than general nurses. Frontline nursing staff have even more workload and may not be able to handle pressure well. Generally speaking, nurses work 6 hours in makeshift hospitals, 5 hours in general wards, and 4 hours in ICUs.

The fourth is related to local transportation capacity. Assisting nursing staff lived together in designated hotels and were transported via shuttle buses. With the continuous improvement of transportation capacity, the frequency of shuttle buses increased. As a result, the working hours of each nurse could be reduced. Authors: Lin Weiwei, Institue of Medical Information, Chinese Academy of Medical Science, Dong Dandan, Center for International Knowledge on Development

Q39: How does the Chinese Government guarantee stable employment facing the impacts of COVID-19?

A: Employment is the cornerstone of basic livelihood, economic development and social stability. Influenced by the outbreak of COVID- 19, the surveyed urban unemployment rate in China jumped to 6.2% in February 2020, up by 0.9 percentage point month- on-month. To ensure the recovery and stability of employment while preventing and controlling the epidemic, the Chinese government has introduced a number of policy measures and ascertained the responsibility to ensure the implementation of these policy measures.

First, targeted measures have been taken to promote the resumption of work and production. The government helps micro, small and mediumsized enterprises (MSMEs) overcome difficulties through measures of reducing corporate burdens to stabilize employment. MSMEs contribute more than 80% of the total employment demand of enterprises in China, but are greatly affected by the epidemic due to insufficient cash flow and low resilience. The Chinese government has rolled out a series of traditional employment measures to help MSMEs resume work and production, including slashing taxes and fees, offering financial support and streamlining administrative measures. In places where the epidemic has been alleviated, the government adjusts law enforcement and regulatory measures to allow street- facing shops and itinerant traders to temporarily occupy roads and set up stalls in designated areas. The government also adopts a differentiated and step- by- step approach to promote collaborative resumption of work and production among enterprises. By prioritizing work resumption in major projects, key industries, such as manufacturing, construction, logistics, public service and agricultural production, as well as areas where the epidemic has been alleviated, it is expected that other industries and regions will gradually follow.

Second, multiple measures have been taken to help key groups orderly get back to work and obtain employment. The government has rolled out “health QR Code” and organized special buses and trains, known as “point to point service”, to safely and orderly transport migrant workers back to work. By early March, 80 million migrant workers had returned to work, accounting for 60% of those returning home for the Spring Festival. For migrant workers who could not go to work in urban areas soon, local authorities provided guidance and encouraged them to get employed locally and dedicated themselves to spring ploughing, local agricultural industries and public infrastructure construction. For graduates and other groups facing difficulty in employment, the government has offered assistances, optimized employment and entrepreneurship services, and improved online recruitment.

( To be continued on June 20, 2020)