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China REACH Home Visits Resumed

In the early February 2020, under the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic, according to the national public health emergency response level and local requirements for the epidemic prevention and control, China REACH home visiting in Jimunai County in Altay Prefecture, Xinjiang was temporarily suspended.


After 45 days of waiting, the epidemic in the border areas was taken under effective control. On March 16, with the approval of the county’s command center for the epidemic prevention and control, China REACH officially resumed the “one-on-one” home visits.



During the suspension, most parents were able to make toys at home as they learnt at previous home visits or used toys already available to teach their children to identify material objects and colors, read them stories and sing and dance with them. Some used mobile-phone videos to communicate with childcare counselors, making sure “learning didn’t stop though the visits stopped”.


CDRF program officials kept in touch with county program offices and supervisors to actively support the counties covered by the program and donated face masks and other epidemic prevention supplies.



The supervisors and childcare counselors in Jimunai County kept reminding the parents of strictly abiding by the epidemic prevention and control rules in the WeChat parent groups and got updated on the status of children, keeping the counseling and exchange running.


After receiving the notice on the program resumption, the program staff in the county got fully prepared. They held pre-visit meetings to strengthen requirements on disinfecting toys, washing hands before home-visits, wearing masks, not gathering in crowds and reducing contact, and made collective lesson preparations in time.



The home visits went smoothly as well. The parents were glad about the continued visits on their children and fully cooperative in the interaction.



So far, the 52 supervisors and childcare counselors across the county were all back in position, and normal home visits were fully resumed for the 507 children.