Editor’s Note: As Yangtze River Delta sees more virus cases, the authorities have activated emergency response systems to combat the latest round of Covid-19 cases. Helpful tips are given to for the close contacts of confirmed Covid-19 cases and farmers donate rice, vegetables to support anti-virus fight. More kindness acts and social cohesion are shown in the special time. Today, some takeaways are provided to inform you the latest proceeding of Covid-19 precautionary measures and tips, stories of anti-virus support, charity projects and cross-cultural communication.

1. Yangtze River Delta sees more virus cases

Authorities in the Yangtze River Delta have activated emergency response systems to combat the latest round of COVID-19 cases found in major cities in the region in the past few days.

In Zhejiang province, 41 people tested positive for novel coronavirus infection between Sunday and 3 pm on Wednesday, with 18 in Ningbo's Zhenhai district, 18 in Shaoxing's Shangyu district, and five in Hangzhou, the provincial capital, a news conference was told on Wednesday afternoon.

All patients were diagnosed with mild COVID-19 symptoms caused by the highly transmissible Delta variant. The province has conducted nucleic acid tests on 1.33 million residents in the three cities. Five areas across the province have been identified as medium-risk areas for COVID-19.

2. Helpful tips for close contacts of confirmed COVID-19 cases

As Hangzhou in East China's Zhejiang province reported two new locally transmitted COVID-19 confirmed cases and three asymptomatic cases on Dec 7, the Hangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention has developed a series of reminders for local residents that have been diagnosed as close contacts to confirmed COVID-19 cases.

First, stay put and get quarantined. To avoid further spread, please follow personal protection measures as soon as possible, do not move or contact other people as much as possible, as well as take temporary self-quarantine measures.

Second, truthfully and immediately report your recent travel history, contact history, and personal information to the local community or disease control department. Do not conceal or omit any information.

Third, please be patient and wait for the community or disease control department to verify. If confirmed as close contact, the disease control department will arrange a vehicle to transfer you to a designated centralized quarantine site.

Fourth, continue following personal protection measures during the transfer. Seating should be kept as far apart as possible, while medical protective masks and gloves should be worn in a correct manner.

Fifth, undergo quarantining at a centralized site. For close contacts, the observation time shall be 14 days after the last unprotected contact with a confirmed case or an asymptomatic case. Special groups can apply for strict home medical observation to their local communities.

Last, closely observe and cooperate with the staff members on health monitoring measures. If showing any symptoms like fever, dry cough, fatigue, sore throat, loss of smell or taste, or diarrhea, please report to the staff members in a timely manner and wait for medical treatment through standardized channels.

3. Farmers donate rice, vegetables to support the anti-virus fight

A van loaded with 400 kilograms of vegetables and 500 kilograms of rice donated by farmers from Ningbo's Yinzhou district arrived in Zhenhai district on Dec 7. The donation was made after Zhenhai reported three COVID-19 cases on Dec 6.

The vegetables were donated by Liu Mengbo and his wife Zhang Jianmei, who are from Qihua village, Zhanqi town, Yingzhou district. The couple made the decision after learning about the COVID-19 resurgence in Zhenhai.

Liu said that he wanted to contribute his part to the anti-virus fight "at their doorstep" and that he hoped the donated vegetables will help seniors who live alone overcome food problems caused by the COVID-19 resurgence. In addition, Zhi Lizhong and Tang Yaqin, another couple from Zhanqi town, donated 500 kilograms of rice.

4. Project Hope celebrates 30 years in Zhejiang

Project Hope was started by the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League of China and the China Youth Development Foundation in 1989. It is tasked with improving the education infrastructure and helping children from the country's poorest areas who drop out a return to school.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of Zhejiang province's implementation of the project.

Over the past three decades, the project has raised 670 million yuan ($105 million) in charitable donations as well as sponsored 631 primary schools and kindergartens and 205,000 students from financially-challenged families.

Statistic figures show that six in every 10 residents in Zhejiang have donated to Project Hope and at least five in every 100 primary schools in the province's rural region were funded by the project. In June 1992, the first Project Hope primary school in Zhejiang was established in a remote village in the mountainous Linghou township, Wencheng county. Today, the province is home to 537 Project Hope primary schools that have produced more than 150,000 graduates in the past three decades.

5. Wenzhou opens dragon boat bases in Rome, Paris

East China's Wenzhou city set up two new dragon boat bases in Rome, Italy and Paris, France on Nov 28, local media outlets reported. A group of more than 30 overseas Chinese with Wenzhou roots and foreigners joined the Rome base as its first members, while the Paris base, which has been undergoing pilot operations for a few days, has attracted a team of more than 50 Wenzhou overseas Chinese and foreigners.

The bases will regularly hold dragon boat training and experience sessions and invite overseas Chinese and foreigners to try their hands at the traditional group activity and learn more about Chinese culture.

Wenzhou set up its first overseas dragon boat base in Badalona, Spain in 2017. The base has since become a well-known cultural icon in the region. The three bases are operated by the Wenzhou Foreign Cultural Exchange Association and the Wenzhou Overseas Media Center.

Editor: Huang Yan