Publicity drive launched to halt virus in Hechi

Hechi, in Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, has recently launched a bid to improve public awareness of the novel coronavirus and increase the city's capacity to control the spread of the disease.

Besides conventional platforms such as newspapers and television, Hechi has also made use of loudspeakers, publicity vans, and text messages, as well as popular Chinese social media platform WeChat and microblog platform Weibo, to pass on information about the control and prevention of coronavirus to people in the city.

To date, Hechi has invested 23.5 million yuan ($3.35 million) to build a broadcasting system in 976 administrative villages in six counties - covering Dahua, Du'an, Bama, Huanjiang, Luocheng and Donglan - and installed a total of 3,904 loudspeakers.

In Qingtan village, Huanjiang Maonan autonomous county, information about coronavirus control and prevention in three languages - mandarin, Maonan language, and Guilin and Liuzhou dialects - is broadcast every day through four loudspeakers.

By Feb 2, the city had published 2,748 news reports on the disease, distributed about 2.2 million copies of publicity materials, sent more than 19.24 million messages to its residents, put up over 18,000 promotional banners, and used LED screens to show 14,000 scrolling slogans.

"Coronavirus prevention is now a must-mention topic when I chat with friends," said Li Yousong, a resident from Jinchengjiang district of Hechi. "WeChat moments and television are also awash with news related to the epidemic. Even when going out for shopping, I saw banners and slogans here and there."

Hechi devoting such efforts to publicizing coronavirus control and prevention will significantly enhance public awareness of safety and sanitation, added Li.