As of 00:00, February 14th, Guangdong had reported 20 new cases, pushing the total number of infected patients to 1261.

Shaoguan, Qingyuan, Zhaoqing, Maoming, Yangjiang, Jiangmen, Zhongshan, Shanwei, Jieyang, Shantou, Chaozhou and Heyuan reported no new cases on February 13th.

The 20th press conference on Guangdong's fight against the coronavirus (COVID-19) was held in Guangzhou today.

(Photo: Nian Qing)

In response to netizens' concerns about the fecal-oral transmission, relevant departments are working on prevention guidelines, according to Zhou Zixiao, Deputy Director-General of the Health Commission of Guangdong Province. She also stressed that the public needn’t worry too much.

Zhou reminded residents to ensure the toilet drains are unblocked and prevent it from leaking. It’s also helpful to flush water into the drain regularly, so as to keep insects and odor from entering the room.

According to Zhou, Guangdong is to send another two teams of medical staff, totaling 422 members to Hubei Province to aid the coronavirus control efforts there.

Yesterday, Guangdong issued 18 measures to help epidemic-stricken small and medium-sized enterprises solve their financial difficulties. He Xiaojun, Director-General of the Guangdong Provincial Bureau of Financial Supervision, said these measures had been implemented since February 13th, and will remain effective in the following six months.

"The measures are mainly targeted at the SMEs in the industries greatly affected by the epidemic, and the SMEs greatly influenced by the postponement of the return to work, as well as people who have temporarily lost their source of income," he said.

Guangdong will reduce the interest rate on small loans and re-loans, ease the financial leverage for small loan companies with a good reputation, and government-guaranteed fees. The guarantee fees are also exempted.

Author: Hannah, Steven

Editor: Keane, Simon