There are two battle fields in the fight against the COVID-19: the hospitals for healing the wounded and rescuing the dying and the communities for preventing and controlling the epidemic. When the communities are under closed-off management and some residents are isolated at home, what should they do? All the problems and difficulties have weighed on communities workers. The community workers have stepped forward bravely to offer careful assistance to residents and build the impregnable fortress against the epidemic in communities.

“Omnipotent” community workers

“I’ve never thought that they would be so quick to brought me the things I need and I will be well isolated at home.” said Ms. Xie when receiving the thermometer and disinfectant supplies from the Neighborhood Committee worker. She lives at Baoshan No. 1 Village and has been under home isolation. In this white war against the epidemic, many community workers have become “versatile”, being the deliveryman, telephone operator, commander... Whatever the residents need, the community workers would do to help them.

“Who are you?” “Where are you from?” “Where do you go?” As the epidemic prevention and control measures in communities have been upgraded, the workers of the Yongqing No. 2 Village Neighborhood Committee of Wusong Sub-district have become the “scout”, guarding at the entrance to check the certificate, take the temperature and make enquiry of people getting in and out. They would mark these “frontline report” in the “Epidemic Prevention and Control Map”, allowing all workers to follow relevant information.

“Riding on my motorbike...” The Neighborhood Committee workers have never thought that they would become a “deliveryman”. Early in the morning, Wang Yiwen from the Changzhengxincun Neighborhood Committee came to the hospital to wait for making prescription for an elderly disabled people living alone in the community. Some asked how he dared to go to the hospital. Wang replied resolutely, “I’m a community worker and should do something to help residents in need.”

“Hello! What can I do to help you?” Lu Xiaohua from Hejiaxinyuan would receive so many phone calls everyday that she would almost lost her voice at the end of the day. There are 1,980 households in Hejiaxinyuan and she would receive phone calls from different residents, patiently inquiring their difficulties, answering their problems and trying to relieve their worry and panic. And she would stay by the phone everyday for fear of missing a call or making residents wait. Lu Xiaohua posted the video of her son recorded by her family on February 13 and she has not seen her son for 15 days.

Xie Jing, Party Chief of the Party General Branch of Dajiayuan No. 1 Neighborhood Committee of Xingu Village, has become a “food deliveryman”. The 87-year-old Granny Lu lives alone in the community. During the epidemic, Xie Jing has contacted the children of Granny Lu and took charge of delivering three meals for her everyday. When Granny Lu opened the door, Xie presented the steaming hot stuffed buns and porridge. Granny Lu said, “You’ve come to take care of me everyday. Sorry to trouble you so much.”

Story behind Letter of Thanks

“You’ve thought of us and send us the things we need everyday and you’ve been busy in the community everyday regardless of your safety...” The residents have been warmed by the dedication of community staffs and thus wrote the Letter of Thanks in plain words to express their gratitude. The No. 2 Neighborhood Committee of the Sitang No. 5 Village of Zhangmiao Sub-district received a Letter of Thanks from the 93-year-old Mr. Pan. He wrote, “The epidemic is merciless but you have devoted to the epidemic prevention and control with full enthusiasm to ensure that we can stay home and avoid the epidemic. Thank you very much.” Old Pan lives at the 6th floor and he can hardly go downstairs as he has difficulty in walking. Therefore, the community workers have bought masks for him and sent them to his home, which has moved Old Pan a lot.

Ms. Rao living at Lane 555 Sanmen Road wrote a Letter of Thanks to the CPC Gaojing Town Committee at the end of the 14-day home isolation for the assistance it offered during her home isolation. She wrote, “The community workers have offered care and assistance to me in my 14-day isolation at home. Whenever I have some needs, they would come to help immediately after receiving my call. They’ve sent vegetables and medicines to my home, helped to recharge the water card, collected the garbage at door, inquired about my health condition and learned about my needs. And they’ve told me their personal phone number so that I get contact with them in time when they are off work. Thank the Party and the Government for cultivating such a group of great public servants to exclude our difficulty and anxiety.”

The workers of the Xinjiayuan No. 11 Neighborhood Committee of Gucun Town were warmed by a Letter of Thanks. On January 29, a resident came to the Neighborhood Committee and complained, “I have no masks. I’ve came to the pharmacy these days but the masks were all sold out. What can I do?” The resident was agitated. Having persuaded him to go home, the Neighborhood Committee Party Chief Chen Xia felt having not solved his problem and thus took two masks from her home and sent to his home. This resident sent a WeChat message to the community staff on February 4 to apologize for his crudeness several days ago and thank their timely help. “I’ve learned from the TV news that the epidemic is getting severe and you have to work early in the morning and late at night. I want to contribute my own share and please accept my donation of RMB 200.”

Self-sacrifice for the public

To win the war in the COVID-19 prevention and control, the community workers have sacrificed for the public and engaged in the fight against the epidemic and many moving stories have emerged.

Wang Juhe, Chief of the Juxiangyuan Neighborhood Committee, has devoted to the epidemic prevention and control and worked an average of 14 hours a day. She’s been busy like a spin, only drinking some scaphium scaphigerum tea when having a sore throat, using some eye-drops when having bloodshot eyes, and taking a cup of coffee when feeling sleepy. To focus on the epidemic prevention and control work in the community, she “drove out” her husband and child to live in her relatives and hung up her parents call, and then came to her office with her health insurance card and identity card. She would also miss her parents in hometown and her young daughter in the still of night, but she dare not have a video call with her family, fearing to see her daughter crying for mum. She can only hear the warm voice of her daughter through WeChat voice message.

Zhang Hexian, Party Chief of the Baogang No. 8 Village Neighborhood Committee, had an operation just before the New Year and has been still in rehabilitation. Learning that the community workers were fighting against the epidemic day and night, she joined in silently. In the early stage, the Neighborhood Committee should complete the heavy task of investigating the health conditions of all residents. She also took part in the investigation together with other colleagues for consecutive nights despite her illness. When others worried about her health and tried to persuade her to go home, she refused, “I should do what I can to help.”

“Our Party Chief is ill, and I should assume my duty as the Director of the Neighborhood Committee and a Party member.” Pan Liuyi from Baogang No. 8 Village Neighborhood Committee resolutely assumed her responsibility and has worked from the eve of the Chinese New Year without taking a rest for one day. Her 6-year-old son had chicken pox, but she can only leave her son to be cared by other family members.

Yu Jiayin, Party Chief of the No. 2 Neighborhood Committee of Gaojing No. 1 Village, and Zhu Haifeng, a staff of the Gaojing Property Management Department, have been busy with work since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus pneumonia. This couple would meet each other occasionally but had no time to attend to their family. What they talked about most was how to prevent and control the epidemic... Yu Jiayin’s mother-in-law suffered from serious illness and should sit for 2 hours every day when getting up in the morning before walking around. Despite the difficulty at home, they still entrusted their 3-year-old child to the parents and were never absent from work due to personal reasons.

Xu Beili, a staff of the No. 3 Neighborhood Committee of Dahua No. 1 Village, is in the later stage of pregnancy and has remained at her post every day with a big belly. She would investigate people coming from other areas through phone call, WeChat or dropping-in, and buy some daily necessities for people under home isolation. Wu Chunfang of the Qilian No. 4 Village Neighborhood Committee returned to work immediately after an operation and still stuck to the post at the frontline despite the festering wound caused by hard work.

There are many such moving stories in communities. It is the devotion of these community workers that has guarded the safety of the public.