Medical volunteers pose for a photo at the Hangzhou Civic Center before leaving for Wuhan to help in the local fight against the virus on Feb 9. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]

The Hangzhou Labor Union rolled out policies on Feb 18 to support Hangzhou medical volunteers who joined the fight against the virus outbreak in Hubei province, where the first novel coronavirus pheumonia was reported, as well as their families.

Officials from the union said that the measures were designed to ensure medics from Hangzhou would be able to battle the virus without feeling anxiety over their family's wellbeing.

The Hangzhou Labor Union is the first Chinese labor union to launch such measures.

To date, Hangzhou has sent 414 medics to Hubei, 122 of whom are from city-level hospitals and 192 of whom are from district-level hospitals.

"Their families must be very concerned about them, and we are doing this to support their families," an official said.

The new measures state that the Hangzhou Labor Union will pay visits to every family with family members serving as medics in Hubei and offer 2,000 yuan ($287) to each of them.

A special hotline at 0571-87818132 will be set up to contact such families and learn about their situations. A team of counselors will also work online to provide emotional support for the medics and their families.

Volunteers will also be tasked with providing individualized services, such as helping purchase living necessities and taking care of elderly family members for medics.

In addition, the labor union will work with a housekeeping company to offer free housekeeping services for the families of medics.

Medics in Wuhan and their families will also be granted a one-year membership on Himalaya App, an audio-sharing platform where they can listen to audio books and other audio resources.

Furthermore, a special fund of 1 million yuan will be granted to medics and their families so that they can take a vacation to recuperate after the epidemic subsides. Medics will receive their regular salary while on vacation.

Lastly, outstanding medics will receive special recognition after returning to Hangzhou.