Everyone’s Fight

When I went to my wife’s hometown in the southwestern part of Hubei Province in late January for the Spring Festival family reunion, I had never imagined I would have to remain there for two and a half months. At that time there was some news about a viral infection outbreak in Wuhan, the capital of the province, but we, like everyone else, were fully in the New Year celebration mood, visiting relatives and local holiday resorts, and thought the virus was no big deal.

I began to take the novel coronavirus disease seriously only after respiratory disease expert Zhong Nanshan came to Wuhan to investigate the outbreak and confirmed the ability of the new coronavirus to transmit between humans. Then Hubei was put under lockdown and as control measures escalated, we were confined to our homes. For around two months, the farthest we could go was the gate of our residential complex, where we collected our essential supplies.

Every morning we were awakened by police cars patrolling the streets and playing recorded warnings and instructions. They even modified popular songs in attempt to make the information and instructions catchy. Filling various forms and questionnaires became another daily routine.

However, these were the least of our sorrows. The grief came when my grandmother, who lived in another part of the province, became critically ill all of a sudden. Though not very far away, we still couldn’t go to her as transportation had been suspended within the province. We managed to see her via a video call. That was the last time we saw her. She passed away a week later.

But we kept our grief under control, knowing that everyone was strictly following epidemic control requirements. At a critical time like this, unified efforts across the country were key to a quick and thorough victory against the epidemic. Besides, compared to those risking their lives working to keep us safe, we didn’t really have much to complain about.

I got to know better how they worked after I joined them as a volunteer when my neighborhood called on everyone available to join the fight. My post was in a temporary camp set up at the gate of the community, and my job was registering all those entering and leaving and taking their temperature.

The people I worked with were mostly the local government officials living in the community. They said about 90 percent of their colleagues were engaged in epidemic prevention and control work.

The outside world helped us when we were at our most difficult times, and

China is doing its best to reciprocate. It is time for close cooperation,

not fingerpointing