Cool idea sees ice-cream vendor joining virus fight

LIVERPOOL, Britain－Ice-cream vans sound cheerful chimes as they trawl neighborhoods to sell cones, ice lollies and other cool goodies in sun-baked Britain. But this summer, in Liverpool, an ice-cream vendor has been recruited to help in the fight against COVID-19.

Paul Wilson drives his van around the inner-city Toxteth area of Liverpool almost every day. When children are playing in the street or sitting in their homes, the chimes of Wilson's van will for sure send them hurrying to buy ice cream.

Wilson said he knows almost every one in the area. "I've watched many of the kids grow up round here. I'm on my third generation now," he said.

Nowadays, as he hands them their cones, Wilson also gives them leaflets to give to parents with guidance on how families can stay safe and where to get tested for COVID-19.

Wilson's new role started when health chiefs detected a sudden spike in the number of positive tests in the area around Toxteth's Princes Park district, home to large concentrations of minority communities.

Local lockdown measures were introduced recently in this district by city health officials in a bid to control the sudden increase in coronavirus cases.

Community workers and volunteers were dispatched to the streets and shopping precincts to talk to people and persuade them to go to hurriedly assembled test areas.

A City Hall spokeswoman said: "One of our teams were in the area and spotted the ice-cream van. They thought it would be a good idea to ask the vendor to distribute leaflets, and he immediately agreed."

Good reaction

Wilson said he was happy to help in the fight against the disease. "I'm happy to help keep the community safe. There has been a really good reaction to what I'm doing. It is helping the council and helping local people. This virus is going to be here for a long time. You can't fight what you can't see."

The city's health board opened testing stations when the community was hit by an increase in cases.

Alongside that, advice was given for community buildings to remain closed for 14 days, and all upcoming gatherings and events were suspended for that period. Additional public health advice and guidance has been issued to those running cafes, bars and restaurants in the area.

Xinhua