Challenges faced by community-level epidemic prevention and control

The identities of community members are complex and the mobility of personnel is high, so there are many uncertainties. It is difficult to implement various prevention and control measures in the traditional and decentralised community management mode. The novel coronavirus pneumonia has the characteristics of long incubation period and diversified infectious pathways [Reference Wang3]. At present, studies have proved that patients infected with novel coronavirus are highly infectious in the early stage of infection [Reference To4]. Therefore, efficient and rapid identification of the source of infection in the community population and blocking the path of virus transmission are the decisive factors to prevent the spread of the epidemic.

Implementation of community grid management

The community grid management is to divide the urban area into several community unit grids according to the scientific standards such as geographical layout, convenient management and integrity of management objects, and each community unit grid is divided into sub-grids again depending on the community-level information platform. Using the electronic information and data platform to accurately and quickly locate the community grid units is conducive to orderly distribution of prevention and control materials and timely resolution of public health crisis during epidemic prevention and control. Through the active inspection of the epidemic situation in the unit grid, the prevention and control measures can actively intervene, rapid response and efficient treatment, to greatly improve the execution efficiency in the unit grid. The anti-epidemic data information of each community grid unit is timely shared and interconnected. Neighbouring community grid units shall establish a regional integration cooperation mechanism, complement each other in anti-epidemic materials and human resources and implement joint prevention and control measures. The community-level information platform timely announces the progress of anti-epidemic measures. Collect residents' opinions through Internet application software and dedicated telephone lines, and respond to residents' concerns in a timely manner. The community grid management should establish a team of epidemic prevention and control personnel in the community grid unit. These personnel compose of volunteers who are familiar with the actual situation of the community and residents who have some experience in community management. The epidemic prevention materials of grid prevention and control personnel should be fully guaranteed and they should be trained in epidemic prevention knowledge. The task of grid prevention and control was clearly divided and carried out in an orderly manner to ensure that the work responsibilities are assigned to specific prevention and control personnel.

Several suggestions for community grid management implementation

At the community level, the knowledge and measures of epidemic prevention and control should be publicised to obtain support and cooperation from residents, and all residents in the community should be fully mobilised to implement various measures of community grid management. It is suggested that the community grid prevention and control personnel be divided into several prevention and control groups, such as the entrance and exit control group, the material assurance group, the disinfection group, the grid inspection group etc. The staff of the entrance and exit control group are responsible for the pre-check and identity verification of the people entering and leaving the community, and the registration of the movement track of the people entering and leaving the community. All the people entering and leaving the community need to check their temperature, wear masks and strictly restrict the entry of outsiders into the community. The staff of the material assurance group are responsible for the purchase of protective clothing, masks, infrared temperature guns, disinfectant water and other anti-epidemic substances, arranging special personnel to be responsible for registration and distribution, helping community residents purchase daily requirements, coordinating material procurement channels and storage places and doing a good job in logistics support such as emergency supplies storage. The staff of the disinfection group are responsible for regular disinfection in public places and places with high risk of virus transmission (such as handrails and elevator buttons). The staff of the grid inspection group are responsible for the evacuation of people gathered in the community grid unit.

During the epidemic prevention and control period, relying on the big data information platform, information data is shared with disease control departments, medical institutions and anti-epidemic departments to improve prevention and control efficiency. Emergency patients in urgent need of medical treatment shall be transferred to medical institutions by specially assigned persons to reduce the risk of epidemic spread caused by residents' going out for medical treatment.