Foreigners play their part in epidemic prevention

Expats visit a local market and stroll with their kids in Shanghai. GAO ERQIANG/CHINA DAILY

"Many foreigners don't know the real situation and how well China has been handling the outbreak. For example, there's no shortage of food or supplies and companies have not raised the prices of their products," says Khan, who runs a factory in Shanghai.

In his role, Khan also helps to explain the city's rules and regulations to other foreigners in the community as well as share their feedback with the government. The 50-year-old, who donated 500 masks to the community in Huacao town last month, has even been volunteering as a guard to measure the temperatures of residents in the community.

"My wife and I also reach out to some of our local friends who protect the community from the epidemic, such as the cleaners, guards and local volunteers at the front lines. We spend time with them to express our gratitude for their efforts," he says.

While local volunteers have their strengths in helping prevent the spread of the virus, foreign volunteers are also essential as they better understand the needs and culture of the foreign community, Khan says.

According to the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs, there are around 215,000 foreigners working in Shanghai as of 2019, accounting for nearly 24 percent of the total on the Chinese mainland.

In order to find out the needs of foreigners in the city during this period, the Jinfeng International Community conducted a survey involving 102 foreigners from 28 countries and regions, including the United States, Germany, Canada and France. All of the respondents live in the community and 78 are in China during the outbreak.