College students, civil servants assist anti-epidemic fight

HEFEI -- Shortly after returning home for summer vacation, Xu Xiaoxuan, a college student from Sixian County, east China's Anhui province, registered to volunteer at a COVID-19 nucleic acid testing station.

Struck by a resurgence of COVID-19, from June 26 to July 5, a total of 267 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 1,002 asymptomatic carriers had been logged in Anhui, of which 259 confirmed cases were in Sixian, Suzhou City.

Three days after the outbreak hit this small county, the sophomore signed up as a volunteer, performing her duties in a protective suit under the scorching sun.

"I want to do my part in epidemic prevention and control," said Xu. "Braving the summer heat with temperatures over 30 degrees Celsius, the sweat drips from the sleeves of my protective suit. I have realized the hardship of the job," said Xu.

She said her 18th birthday is several days away, and the experience that she has had is an unforgettable memory coinciding with her coming-of-age ceremony.

In addition to the grassroots anti-epidemic forces consisting of college students on summer vacation and local residents, the county has required all local government officials to take part in volunteering in communities to provide services including keeping the order of queuing for nucleic acid testing, ensuring daily supplies and offering psychological counseling amid the epidemic fight.

Xu Ke, 27, a rural revitalization official in the county, has become the head of the Taoliwenyuan community and coordinates with 82 community workers to ensure the needs of daily supplies to households.

"Many community workers themselves are grassroots officials. In this special time, we need to unite against the epidemic and do anything we can do," Xu said.

Not far from Sixian County, more than 10,000 volunteers are playing a key role in containing the spread of COVID in Lingbi County, another virus-hit area in Anhui.

Su Can, a 21-year-old student majoring in preventive medicine at Peking University, joined the local volunteer team after she returned home from Beijing.

"I have had an internship at a hospital in Beijing, and I am sharing my experience in how to protect people and conduct nucleic acid tests properly," said Su, who is responsible for providing door-to-door COVID-19 tests for local residents with other medical staff.

Su also shares what she has learned in school, such as basic epidemic prevention and control measures, with her fellow villagers in their WeChat group to improve people's public health awareness.

"I have to do something for my hometown, even if they are trivial things," said Su.