Volunteer delivers thanks to Shanghai medical staff

Less than 10 days after leaving Wuhan, Hubei province, a batch of medical workers from Shanghai under quarantine met a familiar face bringing them dolls.

Zheng Jun, owner of a car rental company in Wuhan, had driven more than eight hours with his wife from Wuhan to give all 148 medical workers tokens of thanks.

The medical team started working at Wuhan Third Hospital on Jan 28 and at first had to walk from the hospital to their hotel after their night shift ended.

Zheng, 41, came to their aid on Feb 15 and volunteered to drive them back from the hospital.

"He would pick us up from the hotel at 10 pm and send us to the hospital to start the night shift. At 1 am, 3 am and 5 am the following day, he would always be there to wait for us whenever the night shift ended," said Wen Fan, one of the doctors.

"He became part of the team," he said.

Wen said he first met Zheng on Feb 1, when Zheng took them to the train station to pick up protective equipment for medical workers.

"He was very hospitable and welcoming," he said. "After picking up the equipment and learning that it was our first time in Wuhan, he took us to see some of the city's famous scenic spots from afar as they were all closed."

Zheng said it was his duty as a Wuhan resident to do something for the city.

"Many of the medical workers are in their 20s, and they ventured to a strange city and came to the front line to fight the pandemic. What I could do is to make sure they could rest a bit on their way back," Zheng said.

"Many Wuhan residents have not seen firsthand what the medical workers have sacrificed since they were kept in their homes, but I know and I must repay them."

After taking two nucleic acid tests and applying for permission to leave the city on the morning of March 31, Zheng and his wife brought 150 dolls with them and drove to Shanghai.

"They were still under quarantine at the hotel, and I was afraid I would not be able to find all of them after the quarantine ends," he said.

After delivering the dolls to the quarantine center, Zheng found a parking lot in Shanghai to sleep for the night－as he would be under quarantine for 14 days if he stayed at a hotel－and drove back to Wuhan the next day.

"I have told them many times that if they come back to Wuhan after the outbreak ends, they must contact me and I will take them to see the beautiful city," Zheng said.

For Zheng, life has resumed in Wuhan. Although his rental business has been severely hit by the pandemic, he is confident that everything will be better.