Community volunteers pitch in to help elderly residents cope with lockdown
Quarantined residents at Meilong No. 2 residential compound in Minhang District line up to buy food at the complex gate.
Residents in quarantined communities are helping each other with nucleic acid testing and daily living needs.
Yang Shuhongji, a resident at Meilong No. 2 residential compound in Minhang District, said the complex entered closed-loop management on Wednesday, requiring people to take two rounds of tests in 48 hours.
"The neighborhood committee said they needed volunteers and I registered immediately," said Yang.
He was engaged in maintaining order while residents lined up for the testing. But when he attended the site, clad in a protective suit, he found that many elderly residents didn't know how to use their mobile phone to get the registration code to take the test.
"Together with other volunteers, I taught them how to do it on their phones. For some who didn't have a smart phone, we used ours to register their information to get the code and then accompany them to the booth to have the code scanned before testing."
The community has so many elderly residents that Yang lost count of the number of people he has helped.
Volunteers help to purchase food for residents.
Then came another problem – buying food. Online purchase and the demand for delivery are increasing these days but some elderly residents are not good at online shopping.
The neighborhood committee staff contacted nearby shops and asked them to bring food to the gate of the complex, where volunteers in protective suits would help with shopping.
Some shop owners set up WeChat groups with residents so people could place orders and have their food delivered to the complex gate.
Some senior residents used to dine at community restaurants or have their meals delivered to home. Under quarantine, the meals are now delivered to the complex gate where they can collect it themselves. For those who have difficulty moving, volunteers help deliver meals to their doorstep.
