Hubei fines, disciplines officials for malfeasance

Central China's Hubei province, center of the novel coronavirus outbreak, has fired or disciplined a group of officials for breaching work disciplines and shirking responsibilities in the fight against the epidemic, the provincial discipline inspection authority said Sunday.

The announcement did not specify the number of punished officials but named and shamed several of them whose malfeasance ranges from dereliction of duty to defying quarantine rules.

Ding Naxin, deputy chief of Qichun county in Huanggang, the city with the second-largest number of confirmed cases in the province, was removed from office for deserting. He was accused of incompetence related to the centralized quarantine of the close contacts with patients.

Wang Gonghua, deputy director of the Standing Committee of the Danjiangkou Municipal People's Congress, was given a serious intra-Party warning, as he wasn't clear about the city's epidemic condition and made up work logs.

Wang Xujie, chairman of the Yunxi county committee of the CPPCC, also was given a serious intra-Party warning since he didn't work at the frontline for supervision, as well as Zheng Zhongtan, deputy director of the Yunxi county's legislature.

The Party committee and local government in Chunmuying township in Xuanen county failed to perform the responsibility of preventing and controlling the epidemic and defied quarantine rules by holding banquets, with Party secretary You Hao removed from his post and given a serious intra-Party warning. Xu Zhaohai, head of the township, also was given a serious intra-Party warning.

Similar malpractice took place in Maobei township, Lichuan city, with its Party committee and local government failing to inspect and report key personnel and allowing public gatherings. Its Party secretary, Liu Yu, was removed from office and received serious intra-Party warning. Chen Li, head of the township, also was given serious intra-Party warning.