Staff reporter, with staff writer
Four volunteers in Taichung’s Nantun District (南屯) have helped disinfect half the district in less than a month.
Hung Hsin-jen (洪鑫任), Chiang Ming-che (江明哲), Huang Mao-chieh (黃茂傑) and Chen Chun-hua (陳軍華) said they wanted to do something for the community since the nation implemented a level 3 COVID-19 alert on May 19, which has since been extended four times to July 26.
Photo: Chang Jui-chen, Taipei Times, courtesy of Nantun408
They purchased equipment and disinfectant, and created flyers, which they distributed to borough offices and communities in the district.
Some residents said that the volunteers had paid so much attention to detail that they almost mistook them for Taichung Environmental Protection Bureau staffers.
Their promotional videos and images, uploaded to Facebook, have helped the city government promote its epidemic prevention efforts and bring the district together.
Photo copied by Chang Jui-chen, Taipei Times
Hung, 33, who works in the automotive industry, said on Wednesday that encouragement from community residents helped fuel their motivation.
Chiang handles the group’s planning and execution, keeping a sharp eye on the weather, as rain has ruined several operations, he said.
“Rain dilutes the effects of disinfectant,” he said.
Huang handles recording, editing, processing and posting videos on their operations to Facebook.
“Even I am moved to tears when I watch my own videos,” he said jokingly.
The group disinfects areas two to three days a week, with each operation lasting four hours, they said, adding that they intend to help disinfect the district until the outbreak is over.
The group said they hope to disinfect the rest of the district by the end of this month, before disinfecting nearby tourist spots.
Their efforts have inspired many residents, with some also joining their efforts.
Fengle Borough (豐樂) Warden Tsai Chi-chou (蔡奇洲) also helped the group by arranging for fliers to be put up on bulletin boards and also leading some operations on his scooter.
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