Police endure ice and snow to stop epidemic spread

SHIJIAZHUANG－"Huddling inside a police vehicle on a snow-covered mountain, six police in Chongli, the ski competition venue of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, stayed on duty overnight at a quarantine checkpoint leading to the ski community," wrote officer Liu Haiyan in his work log.

On Jan 31, police started round-the-clock duty at the Huapiling checkpoint, Chongli, Hebei province.

The area sits 2,128 meters above sea level and is covered in snow more than 150 days a year. In winter, temperatures dip to-40 C.

After three days of working from their cars, makeshift accommodation was erected for the police officers stationed there. "I now fully understand what 'freezing cold' means. It is not the cold that you feel, but pain. Pain from numbness, and pain from tears," Liu wrote in his diary.

In China's prevention and control of the novel coronavirus, the police have been enlisted to safeguard the alpine sports venue, checking the body temperature of every person passing through.

In January, the number of visitors to Chongli doubled compared with last year thanks to the Beijing-Zhangjiakou high-speed railway operating since Dec 30. Chinese athletes also traveled to the venue to train for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.

The high-speed railway considerably shortens the travel time between Beijing and Zhangjiakou, Hebei, making shuttles between the co-host cities of the Olympics convenient. The Zhangjiakou competition zone located at Chongli will host skiing and snowboarding events.

However, all skiing activities came to a halt in late January due to the epidemic, with only locals allowed to pass through the checkpoint.

Thanks to the strict quarantine measures, there have been no reports of coronavirus in the mountain town, and three ski resorts reopened on Feb 26.

In addition to Chongli, the mountain path also leads to a prairie resort, making it attractive to self-driving tours.

Liu said besides checking body temperatures, their work also includes registering the information of personnel and vehicles, some of which occasionally pass through to clear snow from the roads.

It takes 30 minutes for the police to go down the hill every day to get drinking water supplies. When the water is carried to the checkpoint, it is covered with ice.

"We change shifts every two hours since no one can stay outdoor longer than that in the freezing cold weather," Liu said.

As more people learn about their sacrifice, gifts such as hot compress patches, protective suits and goggles are sent to the officers.

Xinhua