Wearing a volunteer’s red jacket and holding a nucleic acid testing flowchart in his hands, Duiu Onofrei stood out among the crowd at a nucleic acid sampling site in Zhaoshang Subdistrict, Nanshan District on Jan. 12. Onofrei, a Romanian martial arts instructor, is one of the expat volunteers working alongside his local counterparts to help combat COVID-19.

Video and photos by Liu Xudong

Duiu Onofrei from Romania lets a man scan his nucleic acid testing flowchart before taking a test in Shuiwan Community in Zhaoshang Subdistrict, Nanshan District on Jan. 12.

Onofrei said the expat volunteers assist in translating COVID-related circulars and inform other foreign residents about the importance of taking nucleic acid tests. They play an active role in helping foreign residents overcome language barriers, ensuring that the anti-epidemic measures are implemented efficiently in the community.

Duiu Onofrei holds a nucleic acid testing flowchart to guide residents to take tests in Shuiwan Community in Zhaoshang Subdistrict, Nanshan District on Jan. 12.

Onofrei has been a volunteer in Shenzhen for the past two years. Volunteerism, he believes, is a “civic spirit” unique to China. “It’s difficult to express how volunteering gives me a sense of fulfillment. Small things can grow into something big,” he remarked.

Onofrei was impressed by the “Shenzhen speed” when discussing the local government’s efforts to contain the epidemic. When new confirmed COVID cases in the latest COVID resurgence were detected, he felt proud to tell his buddies back in Europe that the city conducted tests on 22 million samples in four days. “This is wonderful,” he said.

The nucleic acid sampling site in Shuiwan Community had completed its first round of large-scale testing as of yesterday morning, with more than 18,000 people tested.

Duiu Onofrei with a nucleic acid testing flowchart looks on while a woman fills in personal information on her mobile before taking a test in Shuiwan Community in Zhaoshang Subdistrict, Nanshan District on Jan. 12.

“There are many volunteers just like me,” Onofrei told Shenzhen Daily. “Look at how many volunteers are coming, and they are coming with pleasure. This is what it means to volunteer.”