Following concerns raised by a Xiamen resident, local officials in Xiamen, East China's Fujian province, clarified a homeless-like individual's right to access the local library. The visitor, a regular reader with mild intellectual disability, has cooperated in improving personal hygiene.

The complaint, submitted online to the authority by a Xiamen resident from the Qianpu community, raised issues about the prolonged presence of a homeless person at the Qianpu Library, causing discomfort due to unpleasant odors and hygiene concerns. The library staff informed the resident that they could not deny the reader despite the facts.

Responding to this issue, the Secretary of the Siming District Committee in Xiamen revealed on Nov 8 that, upon investigation, the homeless-like person is a regular reader who was mildly disabled and not good at interpersonal communication. Despite the personal hygiene issue and the uncaring look, the individual has not disturbed other readers.

In addition, the library staff persuaded the reader to improve their appearance and behaviors on Oct 31. The reader changed clothes and tidied the hair on Nov 1 before entering the library. Furthermore, the library has coordinated with community, civil affairs, and public security departments to assist the reader.

Emphasizing the right of every citizen to access library facilities for reading, officials highlighted ongoing efforts to keep an eye on and remind the individual about personal hygiene standards and conduct within the library premises.

Some netizens expressed their appreciation for the efforts of the local authority to treat all individuals fairly and to allow equal access to public resources without judging people's appearance.

Guo Yanqi contributed to this story.