Two scenarios emerge in lockdown city

Freezing temperatures

In Taitou village, Shijiazhuang, middle-aged volunteers take turns to stand guard in freezing temperatures at the entrance to the neighborhood, preventing people from entering or leaving during the lockdown. They also ensure food and medicines are available in sufficient quantities for those undergoing home quarantine.

Sometimes, elderly residents take on these voluntary duties.

Liu Dongsheng, chairman of the village old people's association, which organizes the volunteers, said, "These posts cannot be unmanned."

At quieter-than-usual Shijiazhuang Railway Station, tens of thousands of travelers－mostly homebound migrant workers and college students－continue to arrive in the city every day.

With public transportation services suspended, free chartered buses are available.

Civil affairs authorities are also standing by to provide temporary shelter to those returning to the city's Gaocheng district, where strict controls are in place.

Zhang Zhenshu, 51, who has worked for a year at a construction site in neighboring Shanxi province, said: "I heard about the bus service through a WeChat group, where my fellow villagers exchange virus-related information. I had been worried about transportation before hearing about the service."

Medical aid workers continue to arrive in Shijiazhuang from Shaanxi and Jiangsu provinces to help with contact tracing and testing.

Donations of medical equipment worth tens of millions of yuan, including thermometer guns and surgical masks, have arrived at local hospitals, reminding the city's residents that they have not been forgotten.

Firefighters wearing hazmat suits ensure that food supplies are delivered promptly to people undergoing centralized quarantine at a hotel.

One morning, a man in his 40s wearing a face mask knocked on the glass door at the hotel to attract the attention of those on duty.

"My sister is in room 401. Please hand this stuff over to her," he said, leaving two bags of snacks on the floor.

He added, "Thank you, comrades, for your dedication and courage."