Political adviser helps fight coronavirus outbreak

Political adviser Huang Li has led his company to step up production of automatic fever screening systems in recent months to help fight the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, Hubei province.

Huang is chairman of Guide Infrared, a leading Chinese producer of thermal imaging systems based in Wuhan and a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the country's top political advisory body.

The 57-year-old has been living in Wuhan since he was six years old. He graduated from Huazhong University of Science and Technology in the city with a master's degree in the 1980s. He founded the company in 1999.

After the outbreak hit the city, the company supplied fever screening systems to automatically test people's temperature from several meters away.

Before Jan 20, more than 50 automatic fever screening systems had been installed in Wuhan's transportation hubs, including airports and train stations.

By March 1, it had donated products and money worth more than 6.3 million yuan ($900,000).

Major hospitals in Wuhan also used the devices to detect body temperatures.

"The devices can continuously monitor people's body temperature. If someone has a fever, they can immediately give them a warning. They can help buy precious treatment time for newly infected people, and prevent the virus from spreading further in the hospital," Huang said.

On Jan 21, Huang called an emergency production meeting to ensure that 500 to 800 screening systems could be produced and delivered in half a month.

"Our employees worked day and night during the Spring Festival holiday and worked overtime to ensure production capacity," Huang said.

"In Wuhan, it was not true to say that you are not afraid, but in order to protect those who were fighting at the critical moment of life and death, our employees made their own choices and responded positively from the early stage of the epidemic, he said.

"A lot of employees volunteered to work on the front lines," he added.

Early in the 2003 SARS outbreak, the company's products had been widely used, but at that time some technologies were still imported. The ability to complete mass production in a short time now is due to the mastery of core technologies, according to Huang.

As the country gradually resumes production, the products have been put in use in many places to guarantee people's safety. It also has orders from overseas.

The Party committee of the company was commended by the Organization Department of Hubei Provincial Party Committee recently for its performance in the prevention and control of the outbreak.