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As a member of Airborne Rescue & Relief Operations With Search (ARROWS), Civic Force is continuing to provide emergency relief assistance to prevent the further spread of the coronavirus. On February 8, ARROWS staff member, Kakuhou Ou, who is based in Shanghai as he implements the relief activities, sent us a field report

I left Japan from Saga Airport on January 27 to Shanghai, China with 3,000 masks and 4,000 medical gloves. To date, ARROWS has delivered 1.4 tons of relief supplies to medical facilities in Wuhan and Shanghai.

As of February 7, the number of infections has jumped to 31,225 from 4,389 when I left Japan, and the situation is worsening. In Shanghai where I'm currently based, almost all hotels, restaurants, and supermarkets are closed and there are only a few people riding the subway. The once international cosmopolitan city has now become empty. The local government in Shanghai has extended the Chinese New Year to February 9. However, things will not get back to normal after the holidays as the number of infections is on the rise. Residents are strongly advised to avoid going outside to prevent further spread of infection.

At the medical facilities to which we delivered supplies, some administrative staff were not wearing masks. The hospital staff were very happy with the medical masks we brought from Japan. Protective suits and masks are not reusable. Many doctors do not drink water in order to avoid bathroom breaks and to wear their protective gear for as long as possible. I have seen medical workers taking a power nap in their protective suits. Support for medical professionals working day and night is still needed.

The virus is also negatively impacting the world economy. The stock market in China on January 31 was suspended and many economic activities including aviation, tourism, shopping, and real state were disrupted.  According to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Chinese government, there is no specific treatment against the coronavirus. At least for another few months, there may not be any significant change to the current situation. I believe it is important to focus on preventing further infections, developing vaccines, and mapping out treatment plans to fight against the virus.

In the midst of hardship, China is receiving much support from around the world. I have seen many posts on the internet thanking the assistance from overseas. Despite the linguistic and cultural differences, I feel that the world is coming together to fight against the coronavirus. I urge you to continue cooperative efforts to tackle the problem. At the end of this fight, I hope we can all come together and watch the Olympics! (February 7, 2020. The original text is below)

我于1/27号携带口罩3000多件 手套2000副，乘坐春秋航空由日本佐贺机场到上海浦东机场。正好12天 是一个新型冠状肺炎感染者的观察期间。这12天里，我走遍了从浦东机场到虹桥高铁上海大大小小的医院，药店，超市，酒店，地铁，街道办事处等民生关系很重要的地方。从1/28日的4389名感染者走到今天2/7日的31225名感染者。我觉得情况是在越来越差。上海市内依然几乎所有的饭店是关门状态，酒店，地铁也是寥寥无几。一座国际大都市 现在如同空城一般。上海市政府把中国人最大的节日春节放假休息时间，向后延长到2/9号。然而我们看到2/7号为止，不论感染者，还是疑似感染者的数字还是在大幅攀升。2/10号人们真的可以安心的去上班吗？

上海市的市民素质是真的很高。基本在家里不出来。一是响应国家的政策 少出门减少感染几率。二是内心的恐惧。一个小小的口罩，在这个国际大都市里是买不到的。我所接触的一些医院，事务部门的工作人员是没有口罩的。所以，当我们去捐赠口罩的时候，院长大人也会亲自来感谢我们。他们是医生，他们在一个救人的职位上，却连自己的口罩都没有充分的保障。

很多医生为了节省防护服 节省口罩的使用量，他们不喝水 不上厕所，因为这些高标准的医疗用品是只能使用一次的。中国的医生在物资短缺，人手不足的情况下没有任何怨言，兢兢业业在工作中救治病人值得我们敬佩。他们不能倒，他们倒了 中国怎么办？中国倒了世界会好吗？

中国是个多灾多难的国家。去年遇到中美贸易战。今年刚刚签署第一阶段协议，中国又遇到了新型冠状病毒。这对于中国经济乃至世界经济都是重大的灾难。本来1/31开市的中国股市，延期到2/3号，一开门就是千股跌停。再来看实体经济，所有的餐饮，航空，旅游，消费品，房地产等产业都属于关门状态。可是 他们的过去的欠款是要还的，房租是要交的，短期内复原是很难的。

现实是残酷的。WTO和中国官方的报告来看，我们还没有找到对于新型冠状病毒的最有效治疗方法。也没有研制出疫苗。至少是几个月之内我们都没有办法改变现状。我们只有先从预防为主，然后加大对疫苗的研发，和治疗方案的总结去对抗病毒。

作为人类，我们就是要团结在一起，与病毒进行斗争。

在我所接触的到电视里，网络上，大量的外国友人在帮助中国。他们高喊着武汉加油，中国加油；他们把一箱一箱急需的医疗用品从世界各地运往中国。从中看到我们虽然语言不通，文化不尽相同，但是我们的心是在一起的。我们一起去战胜病毒，当我们赢了那一天，让我们一起去看2020东京奥运！