Delta region as one in epidemic measures

The Yangtze River Delta integrated development demonstration zone, which spans the administrative area of Shanghai as well as Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, has seen cooperation in the fight against novel coronavirus pneumonia.

Major road junctions in the area merged checkpoints as early as January 29 to guarantee the effectiveness of joint prevention and control measures while avoid a duplication of efforts.

The area then agreed on a single certificate from February 20, which offers more convenience for workers and vehicles carrying supplies in the area. 

Online platforms established for the region’s integrated development also made contributions during control of the epidemic.

On February 21, responding to the First People's Hospital of Jiashan County, Shanghai paediatricians conducted a tele-consultation on a 4-year-old child with fever via the Shanghai Magnolia Remote Consultation Platform, and then gave a definite diagnosis and treatment plan.

This saved patients from shuttling back and forth between two cities and reduced the risk of cross-infection, said Zhang Zhongwei, deputy director of the Shanghai Development and Reform Commission and vice chairman of the demonstration zone’s executive committee.

In accordance with the need for regional epidemic prevention and control together with the resumption of work and production, six joint mechanisms were launched which included information interconnectivity, mutual recognition of the flow of people, co-insurance of vehicles delivering supplies, mutual assistance in emergency materials, and joint administration of public security.

"This is not only aimed at a single aspect but a series of comprehensive measures, which is conducive to winning the overall battle of epidemic prevention and control, and has promoted resumption of work and production of enterprises in demonstration zone," Zhang said. 

As of Wednesday, 3,099 of the 3,225 industrial enterprises in the demonstration zone had resumed work, accounting for 96.1 percent of the total.

Zhang said the demonstration zone has entered an intensive construction period, and had arranged 40 key tasks for the year focusing on innovating systems, making plans, implementing projects and enhancing mechanisms.

Meanwhile, banks are also supporting integrated development of the region. 

Shanghai Pudong Development Bank, for example, is focusing its business development strategy in the Yangtze River Delta, which is also the top priority in the bank's current three-year action plan.

By the end of last year, the bank had 469 branches in the region and had offered services to 300,000 corporate customers and nearly 27 million individuals. The balance of deposits and loans were 1.7 trillion yuan and 1.2 trillion yuan, respectively, both ranking top among joint-stock banks in the region, according to Pan Weidong, vice chairman of the bank’s board.

"Last year, we set up a special leading group headed by our chairman of the board and the bank president so as to better support the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta, and organized our six branches in the delta region to hold regular business coordination meetings," Pan said.