Lounges help Wuhan street cleaners cope in harsh weather

More than 20,000 street cleaners in Wuhan can now rest, heat meals and charge mobile phones at 124 “lounges” opened citywide, the Chutian Metropolis Newspaper reported.

The city’s labor union has been constructing the lounges since 2016, as the cold wet winters make it difficult for those working outdoors to prepare hot meals.

“The lounges, scattered throughout the city, were specifically designed for those who work on the streets,” a union official told the newspaper.

Every lounge is furnished with a microwave oven, water cooler, refrigerator, medical kit and several desks and chairs. Sanitation workers can find the locations using a mobile app.

Ginger soup is served to visitors in the winter to stave off the cold, while plum juice and mung bean soup will be available in summer to beat the heat.

“I love this place. I come every day to heat my meal, and when it rains I relax here,” said Shi Hong, a sanitation worker.

Shi Renbing, associate professor at Huazhong University of Science and Technology, added: “Those tiny but warm services inspire both the general public and social workers. The model needs to be promoted to further address worker’s needs.”

As many as 300 public lounges, covering all major cities in Hubei province, will be built by 2020, the provincial labor union said.