A sanitation worker helps keep his community safe

Xu Shun, a sanitation worker from Shanghai's Laoximen sub-district, has led a volunteer team to strengthen local environmental disinfection and the public health of communities amid the city's resurgence of the pandemic.

While ensuring basic public health in the sub-district, the volunteer team under Xu's lead also takes responsibility of disinfecting the road's surface and pulling garbage cans in neighborhoods to the intersection for disinfection during this epidemic period "because vehicles cannot drive into the locked-down communities at present," said Xu.

The 32-year-old veteran has increased trash cans in the sub-district, asking the sanitation workers to take turns to clean them up in a timely manner "because this way the garbage won't be stored too long and the regional environment will improve" he shared.

Additionally, he has also strengthened the disinfection frequency of the areas around sewers and manhole covers with his team members in an attempt to curb fecal-oral transmission.

"We have to be on standby due to the epidemic as we're not sure what time trucks and deliverymen carrying supplies will come. When they arrive, we provide them with disinfection and, after they leave our area, we also disinfect the road's surface," Xu added.

Although he twisted his right ankle when he worked during the night on April 7, he continues working with the team every day.

To prevent infection risk during the cleaning time, he always reminded the members to intensify personal protection by correctly wearing protective clothes and not to take off their face coverings even if they feel hot.

"Such a reminder is necessary because our team's health and safety means we can further our role in keeping the regional environment [safe and clean]," he added.

Yang Chaojie, 46, learned how to wear protective clothes from Xu before he became a member of the volunteer team late last month. His major job now is to disinfect intersections on the Wenmiao Road.

"I was always wet after wearing the protective clothes for a whole day, but compared with the fatigue, ensuring the public health safety in this area is more important," he said.