Despite deafness, Jilin man finds way to communicate

Fei began to participate in volunteer activities around the city together with his teammates.

When the city suffered an outbreak of COVID-19 at the beginning of March, he was given the task of assisting in nucleic acid testing in Ziqiang community. He began on March 8.

"Coming off my night shift at the center, I'd still manage to get to my volunteer position in the community on time. From March 13, all delivery services were suspended and the center was temporarily closed," he said.

"At the time, more volunteers were needed for epidemic prevention, and I had more spare time. So, I decided to stay in the community rather than go home."

To keep safe and save time, Fei spent his nights at the community office. Every day, he got up at around 5 am and worked till around 10 pm.

He was responsible for disinfecting, assisting in nucleic acid testing and delivering daily necessities, as well as epidemic prevention and control work like delivering rapid antigen test kits.

"The hardest work was disinfecting with the 20-kilogram machine, especially in old residential buildings that didn't have elevators," he said.

"It was quite cold in March in Changchun, but I had to wear thin clothes under my protective suit to be able to climb the stairs more easily. When I went outside, I shivered with cold."

Another difficulty was being unable to read lips because of masks.

"I had to communicate with them by typing on my phone, which took longer. However, no one complained. Everyone replied warmly, with a smile emoticon or a 'thanks' typed onto the phone," he said.

"I have felt the warmth of my colleagues, leaders and society. As long as someone still needs my help, I will try my best."