Man on business trip to Changsha turns into COVID-19 volunteer in Wuhan
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When Dalian, a man nicknamed after his hometown set off for Changsha, the capital of Hunnan Province and a city 345 kilometers from Wuhan, he was not expecting the trip to stray far from his plans. But it did, and so much so that he never got a chance to set foot on his original destination.

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(Photos: thepaper.cn)

It all happened on the high speed express, when he came over from carriage 3, where his designated seat was, to carriage 9 for lunch, and after buying it, instead of going all the way back, he decided to eat his meal on a vacant seat in carriage 8. That decision was a turning point as not long after he was done the train conductor came in and asked everyone in carriage 8 to leave. According to the conductor, carriage 8 is specifically designated for Wuhan passengers, and everyone currently in the carriage had to disembark at Wuhan.

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Dalian soon found himself lost in the city of Wuhan. “A literally homeless guy” — was how he  described the situation he was in. The city was already in lockdown, that means no restaurants, hotels or even transport. After failing to get a taxi on the street, he rang up 110, the Chinese police line, and called for help. “The police were really concerned about my situation,” Dalian recalled, “but they could not find an extra car either.”

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That was when another option popped into his head. "The hospitals must be in need of volunteers." He immediately reached out to many hospitals and was finally accepted by Wuhan No.1 Hospital. The hospital provides food and shelter for 500 RMB ( $72 ) per day. Dalian doesn’t want his family to know about all this, and told them he was stranded in Changsha.

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Dalian's work at Wuhan No.1 Hospital includes basic cleaning, getting lunch boxes and dealing with the trash. He works 12 hours a day, and whenever he takes rest or has his meal he has to get changed. He has to use three pieces of protective clothing a day.

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The waste is collected, packed, and then sent to a designated place beside the goods lift. Living and medical wastes are dealt with separately. Masks, clothing and quilts used to be living waste and could go into reuse, but now they are labeled medical waste and ditched right away. “I do the cleaning twice a day, collecting bedding items set aside by the nurses. There are four trash bins on this floor, I put the waste there and someone else will come to collect it. I also help to clean the floor and disinfect the place, Dalian said.

(Compiled by Wang Jinhong)