By Wang Fengjuan, translated by Xia Hailin
On March 19, Hubei Province reported zero new confirmed cases, zero new suspected cases and zero existing suspected cases of COVID-19. Medical assistance teams from other provinces and regions began embarking on their journey home, leaving the epicenter where they had risked their lives to fight the epidemic on the frontline.
Wang Yani, a nurse from Longde County People’s Hospital in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in northwest China, traveled back to her home town together with her teammates.
March 17 Sunny Journey Home
Today, 3,787 medical workers of 49 medical assistance teams from around the country are withdrawing from Wuhan after the successful completion of their duties. I’m leaving with the second team from Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.
Carrying my luggage, I couldn’t help looking back at the skyline of Wuhan, a city where I had devoted 43 days and nights of my life to helping local patients fight the deadly virus. Over the past weeks, I was fully engaged in routine and emergency medical services, including temperature checks, injections, swab sample collection and tests…
In this city, we got used to breathing with difficulty under layers of protective gear. We got used to the rigid operational procedures for our safety. We got used to a deep breath of the early morning fresh air after late night shifts. There are a lot more that are indescribable in any language, the most important of which is that thanks to the joint efforts of all the members of the medical teams and the patients, the temporary hospital converted from Wuhan Living Room where we worked has reported zero death of patients, zero infection of medical workers, zero accident in safety, zero complaint and zero reinfection of recovered patients.
Shortly after the outbreak of COVID-19, we brave the risks and rushed to the Wuhan, the epicenter. Although the capability of each individual is limited, we have created an awesome power to overcome all difficulties as we are united as one. In this city, we also experienced the sincerest warmth and the most emotional gratitude for what we have done as professional medical workers. Wuhan is a heroic city with heroic people, who have made epic sacrifices and contributions to this battle against the epidemic. We have done our utmost to fulfill our duties together with them all.
Our return journey began with the highest honor and respect of a city still under lockdown: traffic policemen saluted us on both sides and police motorcycles escorted our buses all the way to the airport. I was sniffing with tears running down my cheeks. We salute this heroic city and its heroic people who will achieve a complete victory over the epidemic, and we wish them all the best!
At Wuhan Tianhe Airport, we were issued a special commemorative boarding pass:
Date: V-Day
Flight No.: Victory
Boarding Gate: Arch of Triumph
Cabin Seat: Meritorious Service
Destination: Beautiful Hometown
The carrier, China Express, prepared a souvenir for each of us—a crystal sculpture of medical workers in protective gear, viewed from behind, on their way toward Wuhan’s skyline of the Yellow Crane Tower, the TV Tower and numerous brightly-lit buildings. Thank you Wuhan for saying goodbye in such an artistic and delicate manner. Farewell Wuhan! I believe you will recover very soon to your former glory and prosperity.
At 19:00, we landed at Yinchuan Hedong International Airport to a warm welcome by a huge crowd with a big banner. Setting foot on my home soil again, I got quite emotional and felt very strongly that only with the backing of a strong country can each individual have the capacity to help others in difficult times with no worries about their own families. Each average individual can turn into a great hero in bringing prosperity to the nation and security to the people.
China Report ASEAN 