A total of 36 tons of rice donated by local residents of Quzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, were sent to support Jingmen, a city in Hubei, on Feb 12, according to local media reports.

Jingmen, a city near Wuhan, the epicenter of the national novel coronavirus pneumonia outbreak in China, was severely affected by the epidemic, and Zhejiang was directed by the central government to offer support to the city.

The rice is expected to be sent to hospitals in the city to guarantee medical workers have enough to eat.

The rice was donated by Zheng Zhengyan and Cheng Qiming, who have been keeping a close eye on the situation in Hubei since the NCP broke out in the province at the beginning of this year.

Zheng is the head of Jiangcun village, Qujiang district and a member of the Communist Party of China. "Donation is just the obvious thing to do right now," he said, "Rice is a daily necessity and they obviously need it."

Cheng, president of Quzhou Qiming Agricultural Technology Co Ltd, added that his company would continue donating rice to Jingmen.

As of Feb 12, Jingmen had reported 725 confirmed cases of NCP, including 111 patients with severe symptoms, and 72 suspected cases. The city had also traced 5,553 people who had had close contact with infected people, 2,085 of which are still under medical observation.

That same day, the city reported 11 people were discharged from the hospital after recovering, bringing the total to 92, and no death.

A total of 36 tons of rice donated by residents of Quzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, is sent to Jingmen on Feb 12. [Photo/qz123.com]