UM students and staff volunteer for COVID-19 response

Students, faculty members and administrative staff members from the University of Macau (UM) have supported the citywide nucleic acid testing initiated by the Macao Special Administrative Region government. They are motivated to answer the call for frontline volunteers to help prevent and control COVID-19.

The students, faculty members and administrative staff members from UM took on many tasks in the test stations across the city, such as giving instructions, managing appointments, providing logistical support and keeping order. Hui Kwun Nam, an academic staff member at the UM Institute of Applied Physics and Materials Engineering, was one of the volunteers. He registered the details of people waiting for a test, and guided people with a yellow Macao Health Code to special areas for testing in his test station, where he was constantly sweating with his personal protective equipment (PPE). ‘I did feel burdened by the heat wearing my PPE, but I felt it was all worth it when we heard citizens thanking us. A simple “thank you” means a lot.’

Anna Cheang, an academic staff member at the UM Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, helped with the logistics of a test station in Colégio Mateus Ricci. During her service, Cheang did inventory checking, distributed materials, and made sure the test station had enough supplies. She says that the volunteers looked out for each other and worked together like one big family. ‘We all kept our meal breaks short so that we could get back to work quickly. The logistics team had to walk around in heavy PPE in the heat. We took turns to move the heavy stuff so that the workload was evenly distributed.’ She adds that she finds it amazing to work with other volunteers in the hope of reducing the number of infections in Macao to zero.

Liu Jingjing, an academic staff member at the Shiu Pong College of UM, worked day and night as a volunteer in a special test station in the Seac Pai Van Public School. ‘ In UM’s residential colleges, we encourage students to develop a sense of service to others, so I would like to lead by example. I hope that with all of our efforts, Macao’ll soon overcome the difficult times.’ He adds that he looks forward to the end of the pandemic when normal life returns.

Shirley Wu, a staff member of the Lui Che Woo College of UM, says this is the sixth time she has volunteered for the citywide testing in Macao, and she had participated in all the previous rounds. She says residents have been familiar with the testing, so the test stations were running quite well, making it easier to work on the frontline. In her test station, Wu saw an old woman who did not have a mobile phone to show her appointment details. ‘The woman had neither a mobile phone nor family member to turn to for help. She sat at the entrance and burst into tears. We immediately came to comfort her, and one of us generated a Health Code with a phone for her to enter the station.’ This strong community spirit has inspired her to draw on her experience to encourage more people to support frontline workers, Wu says.

Many UM students also volunteered to work on the frontline in the COVID-19 response. Chong Ka Lam, a student in the Faculty of Law and the Shiu Pong College at UM, has participated in all the previous rounds of the citywide testing. ‘I have derived great satisfaction from volunteering, which is already part of my life. We’re entitled to benefits from the government, but I think as citizens we also have to give back to society.’

Cheong Pui Man, a student in the Faculty of Education and the Choi Kai Yau College at UM, counted the number of people waiting in and outside her test station every 15 minutes. She also posted these numbers on government websites so that people could estimate their waiting time. ‘I walked around quite a bit, which was really tiring, but I was so glad to be able to help others and contribute to society.’

Lei Hio Lok, a student in the Faculty of Business Administration and the Shiu Pong College at UM, has volunteered for the citywide testing for several times. ‘The latest round of the testing ran quite smoothly. With good teamwork and communication, everything went very well. I was delighted and found my work meaningful when I heard our senior citizens thanking me for my service.’