Grassroots efforts in the battle against the novel coronavirus outbreak
Daning Road Subdistrict
Residents in the Daning Road Subdistrict have shown their full support in the battle against the novel coronavirus outbreak.
Resident Chen Meifeng of the Baohua Modern City neighborhood donated 10,000 yuan (US$1,425.21) to the Jing’an branch of the Shanghai Charity Foundation.
“It’s no big deal,” she said. “I believe we will get over it soon.”
Meanwhile, Yang Na came to donate 100 facial masks to the neighborhood committee. “I heard that masks were in short supply, so I want to help frontline grassroots workers,” she said. “I want them to remain healthy while serving residents.”
In the Xinmei Gonghecheng neighborhood, 15 residents organized two donation drives that brought in 50 facial masks, 250 pairs of disposable gloves, 100 disposable hats, 16 protective outfits and five protective goggles.
Jiangning Road Subdistrict
Xiao Lin starts his daily work by putting on a white protective suit and picking up a bucket of disinfectant.
As the leader of the disinfection station of Jiangning Road Subdistrict, Xiao is responsible for disinfecting more than 40 families confined in home quarantine.
He and three colleagues disinfect every room in their homes as well as doorsteps and corridors. They also collect household waste that goes to special processing before being recycled.
“I’m not panicking at all,” Xiao said. “We were given complete sets of protective equipment. There won’t be any problem if we follow the rules. The virus is not scary if you protect yourself well.” Xiao’s colleague Zhou Pengfei said Xiao has been working every day since January 23.
“He’s always on the frontline,” Zhou said. “Every day, he has his lunch in the car en route to the next disinfection spot.”
Xiao said all four workers at the disinfection station work without stop for 7 to 8 hours a day.
Two workers, Xu Xu and Jiang Wenshun, left their families in other cities and spent the Spring Festival holiday in Shanghai.
“They have so much to do every day, including keeping in touch with the community doctors to maintain timely information,” Xiao said.
Gonghexin Road Subdistrict
In a neighborhood in Jing’an, abandoned bed frames have been deployed to form a barrier to restrict access to the community in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.
The shabby bungalows and shelters at Lane 155 and 157 along Tanjiaqiao Road were built in the late 1950s.
As the only “open” neighborhood in Gonghexin Road Subdistrict, it has no gates or security guards. The narrow alleyways leading to the main roads are open for people, bikes and mopeds to pass through.
Amid the epidemic period, it’s of vital importance to keep a close eye on neighborhood entrances. How to do that?
Cui Ping, Party secretary of the Tanjiaqiao neighborhood, came up with the idea of using abandoned bed frames to set up barricades.
Residents responded to her call. Within two days, Cui has amassed more than 20 bed bases.
On February 5, neighborhood officials and kind-hearted people worked together to set up barricades, blocking nine accesses in a day.
Two accesses were kept open for people and vehicles to pass through. How to safeguard these accesses around the clock?
Neighborhood officials erected tents at the two entrances as temporary security guard kiosks. There, body temperatures and registration of people passing through are taken.
To provide shelter for officials at nighttime, local resident Feng Suzhen, who lives very close to one of the entrances, partitioned her cramped living quarters. It has greatly affected her life but she doesn’t care.
“I think we all need to make contributions to the neighborhood in the prevention and control of the virus,” she said.
Jing’ansi Subdistrict
Restaurants have been feeding the frontline.
The Laohongsheng restaurant on Wulumuqi Road M. suffered a big loss of customers since the virus outbreak.
To help tenants like Laohongsheng, state-owned Jing’an Properties Co raised 50 million yuan and set up a foundation in the fight against the epidemic. It will be used to ensure protective gear for staff, reduce rentals for tenants and provide other support.
The restaurant has repaid the kindness by offering free food to doctors and nurses working at nearby Huashan Hospital. Since February 6, it has sent 100 meals a day to the hospital.
The restaurant’s contribution was halted briefly after an order went out that restaurants should close to prevent cross-infection. Fortunately, when the district’s market watchdog and urban management officials learned of the restaurant’s efforts, they granted Laohongsheng a waiver so it could continue providing food to medics.
Earlier, the venerable Xinzhenjiang Restaurant was sending free lunches to medical workers at the fever clinic of Huadong Hospital.
Opened in 1927, the restaurant offers traditional Shanghai and Huaiyang cuisines, which are famous for their delicacy. Famous dishes include red-braised lion’s head, or steamed pork balls in soy sauce, Yangzhoustyle dried sliced bean curd and steamed buns.
The lunch box was especially designed by nutritionists. From January 30 to February 1, the restaurant prepared 225 free lunch boxes.