Ordinary citizens rally to help China beat outbreak of coronavirus

A truck loaded with fruit and vegetables donated to Hubei province by Hainan province is driven onto a ferry leaving the island province on Feb 1. (PU XIAOXU / XINHUA)

HAIKOU－This winter seemed longer and colder than previous years as the novel coronavirus outbreak gripped the country. However, people, young and old, from all walks of life, have all pitched in to fight the virus and take courage from each other.

By Tuesday, the confirmed number of cases of the coronavirus infection on the Chinese mainland had reached 80,270 and 2,981 people had died from the disease, according to the National Health Commission.

More than 30,000 medical personnel, including military medics, have been sent to Wuhan, the epicenter of the virus outbreak in Hubei province, to help combat the epidemic. In the battle against an invisible foe, public-spirited ordinary citizens have forged a strong force to support the front line.

The 'snowbird' doctor

Dong Jie, a 67-year-old veteran doctor, is a "snowbird" senior who every year travels from the northern parts of the country to the semitropical southern province of Hainan to escape the cold winter.

He bought a house in the island's Chengmai county after retiring from the infectious diseases department of a hospital in Liaoning province in 2013. But this year, Dong is doing more than enjoying his retirement in the sunshine.

Honored with a second-class merit citation for his outstanding work during the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak, 17 years later he has volunteered at the People's Hospital of Chengmai County to fight the latest outbreak.

"I can share my experience in combating SARS with them and shore up their confidence," Dong said.

Medical workers at the People's Hospital of Chengmai County in Hainan province practice properly wearing hazmat suits on Feb 11. (PU XIAOXU / XINHUA)

He has made several PowerPoint presentations to instruct inexperienced medical workers at the hospital how to properly wear hazmat suits and better protect themselves from being infected.

Lu Shanshan, vice-president of the hospital, said, "Sometimes he goes to the infection and fever clinics in person to give our doctors some guidance, which has moved me a lot."

Mobile barbers

In order to contain the epidemic, most public sites have remained closed, including barbershops. In response, a mobile barber stand was quickly set up in Feixi county, Anhui province.

Three volunteer hairdressers, wearing masks and using basic tools including scissors, combs and medical alcohol, are manning the stand, which has served hundreds of people since Feb 15.

"Many people working in epidemic prevention and control have not had their hair cut for more than 20 days, and we wanted to do our bit," said 46-year-old Ge Xianling, one of the volunteers.

Medical workers at the People's Hospital of Chengmai County in Hainan province practice properly wearing hazmat suits on Feb 11. (PU XIAOXU / XINHUA)

From 2 pm till dusk every day, the team of barbers is busy visiting communities in city and rural areas, giving free haircuts to those at checkpoints for epidemic prevention and control, as well as elderly residents.

"For those who are on duty and can't leave, we go to them one by one and ask if they need a haircut," Ge said.

After each haircut, they carefully disinfect their tools before moving on to the next client.

Youth brigade

Most schools across the country have postponed the opening of the spring semester, but the students have greater concerns than their studies.

An image of two girls in school uniform standing in front of a truck loaded with vegetables, with a banner tied to it reading "Wuhan be strong", has become popular online.

Sixteen-year-olds Zheng Wenyu and Ye Qianqiu are students at Hainan Middle School. Together with their classmates, they initiated a donation for Wuhan on WeChat groups, according to Hainan Daily, a local newspaper.

Their peers, including friends and classmates, donated their pocket money and even their "lucky" money, which is given to children as a Lunar New Year gift. About 120,000 yuan (US$17,170) was raised within two days.

Learning that sales of agricultural products in Hainan plunged due to the epidemic, they used the funds to purchase 60 metric tons of pumpkins and gourds from local farmers and had them transported to Wuhan.

Netizens praised their fundraising efforts and said they had set an example for the younger generation.