Photo: Yang Hui/GT

Shanghai residents have to register to buy medical masks starting Sunday to alleviate the city's current shortage of masks during the fight against novel coronavirus, a local government spokesperson said Friday.

To purchase masks, residents must register at nearby village or community neighborhood committees with their ID cards, Shanghai Municipal Government Information Office spokesperson Xu Wei said at a press conference Friday.

Those who register will get a certificate that contains information, including which pharmacy they should visit to buy masks, Xu said.

Each registrant can buy five masks at the appointed pharmacy with a certificate, he added. Every family is only allowed to register once.

Shanghai has seen 135 confirmed infection cases of novel coronavirus as of noon on Friday, with nine having recovered, 120 in stable condition, five in critical condition and one death.

To determine who were suffering from a fever, which might be infected virus patients, Shanghai had taken the temperature of 977,000 people who entered or left China from January 22 to 30, Shanghai Customs said Friday.

The city opened hotlines Friday to provide residents a free guide and consultations related to the virus, the local healthcare authority said.

Over 60 respiratory and infectious disease physicians from Shanghai's 15 city-level hospitals were invited to answer calls on 86-21-33672885 and 86-21-33682885, Wu Jinglei, director of Shanghai Municipal Health Commission, said at the press conference.

The city also cracked down on the illegal online wild animal trade to reduce the risk of infection and transmission of the virus.

As of January 29, the Shanghai market supervision authority had blocked or removed wild animal trade information from the city's 105 e-commerce platforms. It has closed 9,021 wild animal e-shops selling 14,462 related items, Wu said.

Shanghai customs set green channels for anti-virus facilities and materials, giving rapid examination and release for overseas donated supplies to fight the virus.

Between January 25 and 30, local customs had made a quick examination and release of 68 batches of anti-virus supplies, which contained 1.74 million masks, 245,000 protective suits, 94,000 pairs of gloves, 1,685 reagent test kits and 1,269 medical equipment, including breathing machines and blood-gas analyzers, according to Shanghai Customs deputy director Jiang Yuan.

Global Times