TEAMWORK BANISHES THE OFFICE QUARANTINE BLUES

People living and working at locations being used for COVID-19 quarantine in one of China's busiest cities have told of their unforgettable experiences.

Those who have had to remain in offices, hospitals, communities and university campuses in Shanghai due to the current outbreak of the disease said their colleagues' warmth and assistance helped them through potentially difficult times.

Some office buildings were placed in a closed-loop management system after related cases of the disease were discovered. After these buildings were closed, staff members were quarantined in the office－eating and sleeping at their place of work.

Yan Jun, who completed seven days' office quarantine at a privately owned company in the city's Jing'an district before being confined to home for another week, said, "It was a truly memorable experience for me in the office, and I was surprised that everybody was so positive and hardworking.

"The first day was hilarious. As nightfall approached, everybody changed into pajamas and slippers. Seeing colleagues dressed so casually washing their faces and rinsing their mouths in the office was weird but fun. Most of us took photos and shared this special experience on WeChat Moments."

Everyone gradually became accustomed to this new work-life balance.

"Many of us extended our work time until 10 pm, while others started as early as 8 am," Yan said.

"Probably because we were so busy at work, none of us complained about the quarantine conditions.

"There was a sharing spirit in the office, which extended to basic foodstuffs, snacks and milk, and to blankets and even shower rooms, among other things," he added.

Compared with the tight work schedule of Yan and his colleagues, the 48 hours spent in office quarantine by Fang Min and her workmates were more relaxing.

"Some of us managed to have items sent from home that are not usually seen in the office, such as tents, folding beds, playing cards, game consoles and even golf clubs," said Fang, who works for a multinational company in Park Place on bustling West Nanjing Road.

"We were also able to order in food. Including afternoon tea and evening snacks, we had five meals a day. This extra food and drink made up for the unusual sleeping conditions and cheered people up," she said.

Colleagues arranged activity groups after work. Large screens were set up for workers to watch movies, while food lovers headed for the pantry area as meeting rooms were used for poker and video games, Fang added.

Golf enthusiasts even started their own tournament by hitting balls into disposable paper cups along office corridors.

Some colleagues also had to work overtime and attend meetings until as late as midnight, Fang said.

Late on March 10, when the closed-loop management system at the building ended, employees received another surprise.

Taxis from cab operator Shanghai Qiangsheng were lined up outside waiting to take the staff members home.

Sachets of perfume were sent as gifts to each person leaving the building.

Within 100 minutes, 938 taxi trips had ferried home 2,091 people leaving their isolation areas, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Hospital stay

During her two rounds of quarantine, Chu Guangqian experienced a lot of affection and kindness.

Early this month, Chu stayed at Shanghai Neuromedical Center in the city's Putuo district for six days and five nights as she accompanied her father, who received treatment for epilepsy.

Chu said that the doctors, nurses and care workers showed her the utmost consideration during her stay at the center, but a couple in their 40s living on the same floor as her left the deepest impression.

Each day Chu saw the wife walking slowly along a corridor with her husband for exercise.

After surgery for a neurovascular problem, the husband could barely count higher than 16 on his fingers.

With two children to raise, the couple faces huge pressure for the foreseeable future.

However, despite their problems, the wife always patiently took care of her husband. One day, Chu overheard the wife telling her husband: "Don't worry. As long as I have a bite to eat, you won't go hungry."

Chu said, "This is one of the best love stories I've seen."

The day after she returned home from the hospital on March 11, a 48-hour closed-loop management system was introduced at Chu's community, bringing the neighborhood closer together.

"Whenever anyone in the community chat group said they felt close to panic, they received immediate reassurance. Families also shared their food and other resources," Chu said.

Meanwhile, in the afternoon on March 10, police officer Gu Yujie accidentally became a chaperone to four children.

Hearing that a closed-loop management system was to be introduced in Shanggang, Pudong New Area, Gu, who was on duty, immediately went to the community to help with coordination work.

Just after 3 pm, a middle-aged woman sought help, as no one at her home could leave the community to pick up her son from school.

Gu volunteered for the task and collected the boy from a primary school next door.

After returning him safely to his mother, other women asked Gu to collect their children from the school.

"The teachers at the school trusted me, probably because I was in uniform, but it was a huge responsibility to take good care of these kids," said Gu, 26, who was married this year.

Positive test

As part of the city's fight against the current COVID-19 outbreak, the Minhang campus of Shanghai Jiao Tong University has been placed in a closed-loop management system since March 9, when a student tested positive for the disease.

Delivering food to the university's 30,000-plus students in quarantine－who are scattered across the 3.33-square-kilometer campus－has been a challenge, but members of the institution's teaching faculty, who volunteered for the task after completing their work online, were not deterred.

Divided into groups, hundreds of teachers have shuttled between the university's canteens and student dormitories over the past week.

To improve efficiency, the teachers have made best use of delivery vehicles and routes based on their expertise, which includes work on algorithms and driverless technology.

One of the volunteers, Yang Ming, secretary of the Party Committee of the University of Michigan-Shanghai Jiao Tong University Joint Institute, said, "Our only goal is to deliver fresh, hot meals to students as fast as possible."

Every day, after completing deliveries and removing his protective clothing, Yang, a professor of telecommunications, lectures online on the principles of positioning, sensing, planning and decision-making that apply to unmanned vehicles.

Yang said: "On the first day of deliveries we found that due to the huge number of students in quarantine scattered throughout the huge campus most meals were cold by the time they reached them. We decided to develop delivery route optimization software to find the best solution."

Driverless shuttle vehicles developed by Yang's team in 2018 joined the delivery operation, which already comprised teachers' cars, tricycles and also smart logistics vehicles.

Yang and other teachers at the university working on smart vehicle research assembled such a car to maximize the number of meal boxes delivered at any one time.

Wang Jingchuan, deputy director of the university's School of Automation, said expertise in logistics planning and project coordination was also called on to build a transportation optimization model.

Using algorithms, teachers streamlined the placement of meal boxes in vehicle storage compartments. They assessed other factors, such as vehicle capacity, the storage volume of each meal box, and even the impact of speed bumps on delivery times.

Undeterred by the "entry only, no exit" measure implemented on campus, many teachers living outside the university are serving as volunteers at the institution. They bed down each night in sleeping bags placed in offices and conference rooms.

Yang said food deliveries have become more efficient, which has helped encourage the volunteers.

In an online video, Zhang Wenming, professor of mechanics at the university, said, "I act as a professional deliveryman these days, which I take a real pride in."

The teachers' work as volunteers has gained widespread approval from students.

Fang Ruomei, who is studying at the university's School of Foreign Languages, said: "I sense the care shown by teachers every day now, which is easily ignored in this fast-paced life. It gives us the motivation to remain positive."

Li Wei, 23, another graduate student, said the closed-loop management system can be "a pleasing, not upsetting, experience".

"Although we aren't able to buy snacks, study in the library, or wander around the campus, the university is looking after us in every respect, particularly with meals," Li said.

Thanks to the prompt delivery of meals every day, she said she is now living a much healthier life.

"When we have our meals, the teachers might still be rushing between dormitory buildings and their offices. It is not their duty to do so, but they are prioritizing our needs," Li said.

"We shout 'thank you' every time teachers pass our dormitories, and they say 'goodbye for now, keep your spirits up'," she added.

"They are like our friends, even though I don't know the names of them all."

Li Weiyi contributed to this story.