Chinese Provinces Safeguard Returning Migrant Workers Against Virus

GUIYANG, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) — As more cities across China announced to resume business after the extended Spring Festival holiday, migrant workers began trickling back to factories, but millions are still on their way back to work amid the coronavirus outbreak.

On Tuesday, serveral cities in east China's Zhejiang Province, including Huzhou and Jiaxing, organized chartered airplanes to bring over 300 workers from the provinces of Sichuan and Yunnan back to work, a move rarely seen before in the province.

Hangzhou, Zhejiang's capital city and home to a population of over 10 million, is welcoming back the influx of migrant workers meticulously. Nearly half of the mega city's population come from other regions in China.

A total of 300 migrant workers from Guizhou, a major labor exporter in southwest China, were the first to answer the city's call. Compared with other hard-stricken regions, the province is less affected by the virus.

The 300 workers took a bullet train to Hangzhou last weekend. The free ride was provided by Hangzhou as an exclusive commute service for returnees after the extended holiday.

Rather than the usual stereotype of an overcrowded journey, the quiet carriages saw many empty seats and everyone wore a mask.

To minimize the risk of infection, passengers of the train were advised not to sit together and not to move between carriages, said Wen Tao, an official with the Guiyang north railway station.

Before boarding, the workers, like all the other passengers, were required to undergo a temperature check and report any travel history to the hardest-hit Hubei Province, Wen said.

Specific measures have also been taken to meet the requirement of the destination, including filling in online questionnaires on physical conditions.

"Each carriage has an emergency kit for passengers with abnormal temperatures and all fever patients will be placed under quarantine at designated places," said Liu Juenan who oversaw the trip and trained the staff on how to deal with emergencies.

"We were all nervous about the coronavirus infection, but the conductors' thoughtful reminders throughout the journey helped relieve our stress," said a worker on the train.

The efforts to guarantee a safe return trip for workers mirrors how the country has been attempting to minimize anxieties and encourage companies to resume operation.

The volume of return trips made by migrant workers after the Spring Festival is expected to reach 300 million, among which 80 million trips have been made. And 120 million trips are expected by the end of February, according to a Sunday press conference held by China's Ministry of Transport.

Transport departments at all levels were urged to provide safe transportation for migrant workers to meet the labor demand of enterprises.

For those who are unemployed and struggle to maintain a stable paycheck, provinces including Guizhou and Sichuan have launched online recruitment platforms to offer short-term jobs for the local workforce that is now idle.

Meanwhile, more companies have moved to hire jon-hunters online to offset the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on employment.

Farmers in some provinces are encouraged to seek local opportunities with government subsidies and bonuses, as part of the efforts to contain the spread of the virus. 

(Source: Xinhua)