Direct contribution

Meanwhile, at a construction site in Zhengding county, Shijiazhuang, Hua Lingchao squatted beside a partly built apartment room, using one hand to eat a takeout meal.

That morning, he and his colleagues had assembled a number of prefabricated rooms at a centralized quarantine center being built for those with a higher risk of infection, such as close contacts of COVID-19 patients in Hebei and secondary close contacts.

Hua was sent to the area on Thursday. He had been working on a residential building project in downtown Shijiazhuang, but operations at that site were suspended due to the COVID-19 outbreak in the city.

"I'm so glad I can take part in constructing these rooms, as this enables me to contribute directly to the fight against the disease," Hua said.

The 34-year-old said he had had enough of being cooped up and lying on the bed in his dormitory for the past 10 days, adding, "It was so boring. I'd rather do some work."

He also said he had used up his 40-gigabyte data package for surfing the internet on his phone.

Wearing a white safety helmet, gray coat and dark trousers, Hua appeared unworried by the dust covering his clothes, the cold weather and the urgency of his work.

"I have no fear of the virus. I just hope it will go away after all our efforts," he said.

Along with Hua, thousands of workers from different companies have been brought to the area to build the quarantine facility, which is taking shape rapidly and will comprise more than 4,000 apartment rooms, each occupying 18 square meters. Construction started on Jan 13, and over 1,000 rooms have been completed.

Hua, who has a 13-year-old daughter and 11-year-old son, talked happily with his colleagues during lunch, telling them that his children expected him to return home soon.

"They are hoping I can come home and reunite with them for Spring Festival," he said, adding that he had left his home in Quzhou county, Handan city, Hebei, for nearly six months.

After watching a video of the construction work at the site for the quarantine center, Sina Weibo user "Shenqi", posted: "All the constructors have worked so hard. I salute them. You can make it, Hebei. With the efforts of everyone involved, success is not far away."