The world of Tzu Chi March 2020(Vol.120)

the gathering over concerns that the health of our care recipients, most of whom are either physically-disabled or advanced in age with weak immunity levels, might be compromised, especially considering the event was to be held in a closed indoor venue. That same night, we posted a message on our volunteers’ chat group, informing everyone that the gathering had to be postponed. A joyless ordeal On January 5, 2020, I accompanied a senior volunteer to the hospital’s emergency ward for heart complications. The waiting area was packed with patients as usual. Yet, no one in the ward save for a couple was wearing a face mask. We cancelled our scheduled visit to the old folks’ home due to the increasing severity of the epidemic, as well as to prevent everyone from catching the flu in the cold winter weather. Nevertheless, we proceeded with our visits to the homes of several care recipients to distribute living subsidies for the month, albeit in small groups. We noticed only a handful of vehicles on the roads; the city seemed to have quietened down as a majority of Wuhan’s population have left home for the Spring Festival holidays. We began stocking up on festive goods with Chinese New Year around the corner, filling a suitcase to the brim with gifts for my family back home. My husband travelled to Shenzhen on a week-long business trip and reported hearing that supplies of face masks in Wuhan had been depleted. I assured him not to worry, confident that I could easily buy some from the pharmacy near our home. However, I was proven wrong when I popped over to the pharmacy on January 18 to find not a single face Wuhan-based volunteers organized a Year-end Blessing Ceremony on December 29, 2019 to usher in the new year and pray for peace. TZU CHI 120 09

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