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Coronavirus in China: Shenzhen makes it easier for people to report health concerns
- Members of the public promised confidentiality and personal data protection in bid to speed up emergency response to crises like Covid-19
- ‘Only by improving early-warning response mechanism … can we safeguard people’s health,’ city government says
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The south China city of Shenzhen has drawn up new rules to make it easier and safer for members of the public to report health concerns and possibly prevent future crises like the Covid-19 pandemic.
The regulations on “public health emergencies” have been approved by the local legislature and have been made available for public consultation.
Their aim is to “provide transparency on future health crises and eradicate rumours and false information”, and will allow people to “safely report health issues through established hotlines”, the Shenzhen Health Commission said on Saturday.
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The personal details of anyone who provides such information will remain confidential, it said.
“The relevant departments have an obligation to protect personal information and ensure the safety of informants,” it said.
The regulations also set out a time frame for the handling of reports from the public.
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