After receiving psychological counselling, a female former prisoner surnamed Guo finally changed from depression to joy and agreed to settle down and temporarily work on a farm in the suburban area in this Guangdong provincial capital .

Guo, a native of central China's Hubei province, was once very anxious and did not know how to do when she was released from Guangdong Provincial Prison for Women at the beginning of Feb, according to a statement released by Guangzhou Bureau of Justice on Sunday.

Guo could not leave Guangdong for home after the lockdown of some cities in Hubei province, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus pneumonia, in the wake of the outbreak as traffic to Wuhan and some other Hubei cities have been halted to help prevent and control the spread of the disease nationwide.

Guangzhou Bureau of Justice immediately sent a counselor to help and comfort Guo when they learned Guo's situation, said the statement.

Meanwhile, justice officials helped Guo make a phone call with her mother in Hubei and encouraged Guo to temporarily settle down in the farm.

Guo is not alone.

Guangzhou Bureau of Justice has arranged many former inmates and drug addicts who came from Hubei to temporarily settle down and work in the southern metropolis when they were released from prisons and drug rehabilitation centers in the city after the outbreak of the novel coronavirus pneumonia.

Guangzhou Bureau of Justice is expecting the released inmates and drug addicts would soon be able to return home and reunite with their families to live their normal lives after the epidemic has been brought under control, added the statement.