Local heroes help in the battle against epidemic

On Feb 3, Zhang Yichi took a project engineer from Wuhan Railway Station to Leishenshan Hospital, which was built in the past two weeks to treat patients infected with the coronavirus.

It was the first booking Zhang had received that day, nearly two weeks after Wuhan suspended public transportation including buses, railways and ferries on Jan 23 in an attempt to contain the spread of the deadly virus.

To facilitate the commutes of medical workers and other frontline personnel, groups of citizens had volunteered to provide pickup services. Zhang, a 31-year-old Wuhan native, was among them.

Given the severe situation in the city, he was a little hesitant to give rides to medical workers on Jan 25, the first day of the volunteer work which was also Chinese New Year's Day.

"It was the medical personnel who gave me confidence, as I found that the high risk of becoming infected was not their greatest concern; most were more worried about how they would get to work the next day," he said.

That day, he gave rides to five passengers. In his journal, he noted: "The medical workers are brave and diligent. I have no reason to be afraid."

The coordinator of the group informed all the drivers of the trips the night before they were needed and the volunteers chose the orders based on their itineraries, Zhang said.

On Jan 26, he undertook four long-distance trips, with each covering 20 to 40 kilometers across different districts. "I only came back at 8 pm because I was starving and exhausted. It's not safe to eat or drink outside," he said.

During his chats with the medical workers, he was impressed by the support and understanding shown by their families.

"I gave a ride to a young nurse who lived about 40 to 50 minutes'walk from the hospital. Her parents once walked to meet her and ensure she would be safe when she finished her night shift. The three of them walked another 50 minutes back home together," Zhang said, stressing that he had been greatly touched by this small detail.

He received a bag of surgical masks and a small spray bottle of medical alcohol from his passengers.

"The nurse reminded me to change my face mask every four hours and showed me how to spray the alcohol before changing it, like spraying perfume," he said.

"Some medical personnel sent me photos of their certificates and told me to present them to the traffic police if they wouldn't let me through. 'Tell them you are taking a medical worker home'. It (the sentiment) was very, very warm," he recorded in his journal.

The volume of bookings fell after the first and second days of the Lunar New Year, as taxies and buses dispatched by the local government gradually came into service.

Zhang noted that hotels provided free accommodations for medical personnel working at nearby hospitals, which relieved the traffic burden.

Having majored in biochemistry and excelled at English, Zhang also helped translate details of supplies donated by other countries. He was joined by his wife, who teaches French and also speaks Japanese.

"If they need volunteers to do nucleic acid testing someday, I will definitely raise my hand," Zhang said.

He wrote in his journal: "Still, there are many people working outside, such as police officers, sanitation workers, couriers and construction workers. I am just a tiny part of this battlefield. We should pay tribute to everyone fighting the epidemic."