Over 2.8 million in Zhejiang volunteer help in fight against COVID-19

By Li Zhongwen, Dou Hanyang, People’s Daily

Over 2.8 million people in east China’s Zhejiang province have volunteered to join the efforts to control and prevent the novel coronavirus epidemic and bring economic and social development back to normal.

Their selfless contribution shed a bright light on the fight against COVID-19 and brought positive energy to the society, building a solid fort against the disease with love.

To lower the risk of cross-infection, senior dining centers in Changqing neighborhood of Xiacheng district, Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang suspended operation. To help the seniors eat on time, a delivery squad consisting of Party members, elderly-aid personnel and the warmhearted was established by a volunteer organization in Xiacheng district. They deliver food, medicines, and vegetables for 190 seniors in 6 neighborhoods. So far, they have finished over 800 times of services.

Wu Huifen, a member of the squad, volunteers to deliver meals for 6 senior people living alone in Wuya neighborhood. Every day she cooks food and deliveries it to the seniors.

“I’m doing my best to ensure the food is gut-friendly and multiply the variety,” Wu told People’s Daily after sending a meal to an 86-year-old woman in the neighborhood.

The volunteer organization Wu’s in was established in 2016. Wearing red vests and red hats, its members are a distinctive view of the city. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, they have demonstrated high sense of responsibility in epidemic prevention and control in the neighborhoods, practicing volunteer spirit with concrete actions.

This organization is only the tip of the iceberg offering volunteer services Zhejiang during the epidemic.

A young man maned Ni Kaomeng in Wenzhou launched an online campaign to raise preventive and protective materials for his hometown, and he was responded by more than 10,000 young people in the city. Another volunteer named Ma Xiaolin went to a Guangdong-based factory for disinfectants after a 6-hour ride on bullet train. Zhang Xiao, owner of a bookstore in Wenzhou, distributed masks to citizens for free at the gate of the store.

More and more volunteer organizations are popping up on the COVID-19 front line in Zhejiang. According to rough estimates, over 2.8 million volunteers from more than 10,000 organizations in the province have joined the fight against COVID-19, acting as a major force for the networked and society-wide efforts to prevent and control the epidemic.

Wu Huifen, a volunteer in Wuya neighborhood of east China’s Zhejiang province packs food before delivering it to seniors.