China Eastern Airlines flight MU2527, the first domestic flight from Wuhan Tianhe International Airport after Wuhan's lockdown has lifted, arrives at Sanya Phoenix International Airport on the morning of April 8, 2020. (Photo by Sha Xiaofeng/for chinadaily.com.cn)
On Jan 23, Jiang Tao traveled back and forth between his workplace and Wuhan Tianhe International Airport to coordinate the shutdown of flights at the airport.
Jiang, director of the civil aviation department in Hubei province, didn't sleep for more than 36 hours until all the details were finalized.
Earlier that same day, the provincial government had declared unprecedented traffic restrictions on Wuhan, including suspending all outbound flights and trains and the city's public transport, to curb the quickly spreading virus.
"There were so many things happening in a few days and the epidemic situation changed very quickly," he said, "I felt like I was walking in a daze."
The shutdown of the airport, however, didn't mean fewer responsibilities for Jiang.
The province, which was grappling with the escalating outbreak, was in desperate need of medical supplies and healthcare workers, many of whom were brought in on chartered flights.
Jiang would always stay up and keep a close eye on the flight information until the planes successfully landed.
Less than three kilometers from the now-closed Huanan seafood market, which was thought to be where many earlier patients were infected, Jiang's workplace is located at the heart of the outbreak.
All the staff, except those taking turns on duty, were required by Jiang to work from home to minimize the risk of infection.
However, Jiang himself chose to come to the office every day.
"Although the situation was very grim, as long as my fellow colleagues saw me working in the unit, they would feel reassured and confident of winning the battle against the virus," he said.
Between Jan 24 and April 5, thanks to Jiang and his 16,000-plus colleagues, the aviation department in Hubei handled 1,131 flights, transporting 70,888 medical workers and 10,628 metric tons of epidemic prevention and control materials.
Busy with work in the past three months, Jiang felt guilty about his absence as a husband and a father at his home back in Guangzhou, Guangdong province.
Once during the epidemic, Jiang's 9-year-old son was fumbling through online courses when his wife went to the hospital for a checkup after surgery, but his son couldn't get access to the internet on his own. He had to turn to Jiang for help.
"I was at work then, so I instructed him via a video call but failed to help him. My son ended up missing that class," he said. "Seeing him trying to hold back his tears, I felt so sorry for him."
Wuhan lifted outbound travel restrictions after almost 11 weeks of lockdown on April 8－the day marked with much sentiment after Wuhan turned the tide against the aggressive virus, which has infected over 50,000 people and killed 3,869 in the city.
