SZ drafting 1st official public hygiene standards in China

A robot disinfects the industrial park of Semiconductor Manufacturing International (Shenzhen) Corporation in Pingshan District. D News

Shenzhen has started drafting the country’s first official public hygiene standards, the Shenzhen Special Zone Daily reported Thursday.

This initiative was launched by the Shenzhen Consumer Council and Shenzhen Center for Disease Control and Prevention in a bid to ensure safe and clean public environments.

Shopping malls and supermarkets are popular leisure gathering sites for consumers. It is estimated that the city’s biggest shopping centers see over 70,000 visitors on average each day.

Since the COVID-19 outbreak, public concerns over public hygiene have increased. Many also wonder whether the disinfections conducted at public venues suffice to ensure hygiene amid the epidemic.

The standards will include provisions on air quality, cleaning and disinfection to regulate public hygiene. Chemicals present in disinfectant that are harmful to people’s health will also be taken into consideration to reduce health risks to the public.

At present, shopping centers including Yitian Holiday Plaza in Nanshan District, Uni Walk in Bao’an District, Coco Park and Wongtee Plaza in Futian District, and supermarkets including Ole, Walmart, Rainbow, Carrefour and Alibaba FreshHema have participated in formulating the standard, said the report.