Factories turn to voluntary workers as production of masks stepped up

On Jan 28, the fourth day of Spring Festival, a group of 120 volunteers gathered at Shenghui Plastic Packing Co in the Shanghai Hangzhou Bay Economic and Technical Development Park to undergo training before helping pack facemasks needed in the fight against the novel coronavirus outbreak.

Shanghai is facing a shortage of masks, as stocks have flown off the shelves and factories have been unable to produce new ones quickly enough, because most workers returned to their hometowns for the holiday.

On Jan 27, in a bid to meet the massive demand, the park's management issued an emergency request via WeChat to recruit volunteers to help pack masks. A team of 120 was formed in less than a day.

One volunteer said: "I have been sitting on a stool for four hours and continuously packing masks. I'm very tired and have backache, but I'm so proud of our hard work."

Other factories around the city also restarted their operations early during the holiday to cater to the demand for masks.

Meidikang, a medical supplies company in Chedun Town, Songjiang district, resumed operations on 11 of its production lines by Jan 27, producing some 500,000 masks per day.

Wang Lihua, the company's deputy general manager, told Xinmin Evening News in Shanghai that it has been relying on the help of volunteers during manpower shortages.

Since Lunar New Year's Eve on Jan 24, a team of volunteers comprising representatives from urban management, Party members and cadres from Chedun town have been helping with the production and packaging of masks at Meidikang.

Wang, who arrives at the factory at 7 am and returns home after 11 pm every day, told the newspaper,"Although Spring Festival was difficult, the more masks we produce, the sooner people can get them."