Editor's note: In the battle with the COVID-19 epidemic, more and more fighters are coming to its front lines, including students and former students of the Open University of China (OUC). Like other fighters, no matter how ordinary, they are contributing what they can. Let's take a close look at some of their stories.

Chen Ziyin is a junior-college Rural Administration student (autumn 2018) in the "Long March Belt" programme at the Cangxi campus of Guangyuan Radio and TV University (Guangyuan RTVU), and secretary of the Party Committee of the Hongqiqiao Residents Committee, Lingjiang Town, Cangxi County. In the war against the epidemic, he is leading two village committees in organisation and implementation, showing how much a Communist Party member and cadre has the interests of the people at heart.

Investigating the Real Situation Thoroughly

This Spring Festival, the Hongqiqiao community was less bustling than usual, but Chen Ziyin's life was busier.

On 22 January 2020, after a meeting of the Party committee and government authorities in Lingjiang, the Hongqiqiao residents’committee established a group, with Chen Ziyin as leader, to deal with infection control there, putting investigation of returnees from Wuhan at the top of the agenda. The community secretary, and members of the two neighborhood committees, spread out to villages and households.

Among the returnees, on New Year's Eve, were Ms. He and three of her family. Chen Ziyin tested their body temperatures and emphasised to them the importance of quarantining themselves at home. His serious attitude showed Ms. He and her family how important it was that they stay inside until permission came to do otherwise.

Face-to-face communications with farmers and village leaders gave the group an accurate overview of comings and goings between Cangxi and the rest of the province.

Distributing information

Investigating returnees from Wuhan on New Year's Eve

Establishing Resident Accounts to Gain Clarity

Chen Ziyin's way of gaining an overview of the activities of residents has been to establish accounts of these.

His account book covers regular contacts of workers from Cangxi employed outside the village, migrant workers who have returned home, people visiting, all farmers, all in- and out-bound vehicles and people, returnees from Hubei, and so on, allowing him to track the whereabouts of the whole community.

Manning Checkpoints to Keep Non-residents Out

For the sake of keeping the community safe, Chen Ziyin and other village cadres sealed off all access to it with checkpoints.

In his first few days of manning them, Chen Ziyin often had to explain to non-residents that they were no longer permitted to enter.

Over time, however, fewer and fewer people attempted to enter, and the checkpoints won more and more support.

Manning a checkpoint to preventCOVID-19 infection

Delimited Responsibilities and Strengthened Implementation

Chen Ziyin laid out clearly the responsibilities of everyone involved in keeping the community safe.

After the outbreak of the epidemic, Chen Ziyin helped formulate and implement a group-responsibility system, with the responsibility for supervising returnees distributed across family members, neighbors, team leaders, community-committee cadres and doctors.

In addition, Chen Ziyin arranged for information to be updated daily, checked for accuracy, and conveyed to superiors before being distributed to the general public.

Conveying Information to Ensure Stability

Chen Ziyin and his team have also been using a variety of means to disseminate information related to infection risks.

For migrant farmers, they use telephone or SMS, WeChat or QQ. For farmers in the community, they use vehicles, banners, slogans, LED screens, leaflets and other ways of enhancing awareness and reducing panic.

Distributing leaflets at the entrance of Lixianhu Wetland Park

By OUC News Network