Wuhan in Central China's Hubei province has locked down all welfare organizations, put them under closed management and screened every member to identify people infected by the novel coronavirus, Vice-Minister of Civil Affairs Zhan Chengfu said on Monday.

He said the country has more than 40,000 institutions for seniors, children, people with mental health problems and homeless people that assist over 2 million members, as well as 1,881 funeral homes for cremation.

He said epidemic prevention and control work was heaviest in Wuhan, epicenter of the outbreak. After the lockdown on welfare institutions, Wuhan has screened every member with a nucleic acid test, isolated suspected people and treated confirmed cases to make sure no one was left unattended.

The ministry has sent eight working groups to Hubei province and formulated 18 opinions and guidelines to conduct prevention work. They have also partnered with Wuhan and Hubei authorities to offer assistance to people stranded in Wuhan due to the transport lockdown and who have had difficulties as a result.

Zhan said these measures have been effective in curbing the epidemic, but the situation is still severe. Welfare institutions are densely populated and have a closed environment, and seniors, the disabled, orphans and homeless people are relatively weak in defending the disease.

He said funeral services also need to deal with the bodies of the deceased, so the risk of infection is relatively high.

Zhan said they will continue to keep a close eye on welfare institutions, implement existing policies and summarize good experiences in preventing the epidemic.

Chen Yueliang, an official with the ministry, also said on Monday 53 community workers across the country have died during the prevention and control work of the epidemic.