Online court hearing

THE Hainan District People’s Court in northern China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region heard a case Monday, with only a judge and a court clerk in attendance.

To prevent the gathering of people, the “contactless” trial was conducted through a video call with separate computer screens presenting images of the judge, public prosecutor and defendant.

Special grants

CHINA has released a circular asking local authorities to give special grants to dedicated community workers and volunteers battling the novel coronavirus at the primary level in urban and rural areas.

Local authorities are urged to arrange work schedules for community workers in a way that they can get enough rest, according to the circular jointly released by the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the National Health Commission. The circular also called for minimizing unnecessary information reporting and harnessing information technology to alleviate the burden of community workers.