Center helps massage parlor to reopen

Xing Yizi and Yang Yang

THE blind owner of a massage parlor in Jiuting Town of Songjiang District has received pandemic control and prevention goods including a forehead thermometer, face masks and bottles of disinfectant from the local volunteer service center as he prepares to get back to work.

At Shen Hongming’s massage parlor, Zhao Dan, a volunteer from the center, was teaching him how to use the thermometer.

“Please press the button here and when you hear the sound, press the button once again,” Zhao told Shen.

In order to let Shen experience the sound when the thermometer recognizes a high body temperature, Zhao fetched a glass of hot water, warmed up her hands and asked Shen to check her temperature.

When the thermometer approached Zhao’s hands, a prolonged sharp sound was triggered, and Shen said: “I got it.”

Shen is also a devoted volunteer with the Jiuting township volunteer team, according to Jin Limin, chief of Jiuting community volunteer service center.

During past community voluntary activities, Shen would demonstrate his specialty and offer free massages and treatments to residents.

“The help we offer to him now is our gratitude to his past devotion. It is also something we are doing to help with work resumption. What’s more, the massage store is the result of perseverance of a disadvantaged group, so it is our duty to help them,” said Jin.

Volunteers at the center also helped Shen clean and disinfect the store that had been closed for more than a month. Shen said he was determined to resume work as soon as required procedures were completed.