BEIJING, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Nursing homes for the aged in regions at medium and low risk of coronavirus spread have been allowed to resume services step by step, provided that containment measures are put in place, China's Ministry of Civil Affairs said Thursday.

Priority should be given to the elderly who are not able to live independently and willing to check in a nursing home and those who live without a caregiver because their children are working as part of the epidemic control efforts or under quarantine, the ministry said.

Nursing homes in county-level regions with no new confirmed infections can admit new applicants who have not visited high-risk places, contacted people from such areas or shown symptoms of COVID-19, it added.

The ministry also permits home-based and non-gathering community-based elderly care services in county-level regions with no new confirmed infections.

Facilities in high-risk regions and those experiencing an outbreak should stay closed and continue stringent quarantine measures, the ministry said.