THANK you all very much. The other day, I saw a person change out of the white coverall; the shirt was soaked with sweat, to the point of being completely transparent. Wearing PPE all day long, irrespective of weather, and dealing with a seemingly never-ending succession of people without complaint — this is the very definition of hard work. Well done.

The initial lockdown was certainly inconvenient. But given the nature of the threat, it’s entirely appropriate. Ever since then, I have been grateful for living in a country that takes COVID seriously, and applies a rational, science-based strategy to deal with it.

Actually, there is one thing I would like to say. Pre-COVID I used to laugh at people wearing surgical masks, but now, I cannot fathom how I could have been so ignorant, for so many years. Oops.

Seriously, how difficult is it to understand that surgical masks stop the wearer from spraying saliva, snot and moisture (and virion) laden air over all and sundry.

It’s kinda amusing to watch Western anti-maskers throw tantrums like spoiled children over wearing a mask.

Weirdly, I haven’t had a cold for a couple of years.

— Terry Given, a New Zealand electronics engineer working in Futian and living in Longhua

I REALLY appreciate what the medical doctors and volunteers have been doing. I think China has been handling the pandemic very well.

We didn’t have trouble with finding food, which is really important, and supermarkets were open. We didn’t have scarcity of anything. I have friends in other countries and they told me that those countries don’t really care and people died because of the disease. Therefore I think China has been handling it well.

— Hamidreza Seifollahi, a Canadian ESL teacher living in Longhua

I’D like to say thank you to all of the workers and frontliners. They may have families and other responsibilities to attend to, but they’ve made protecting the citizens of the city their top priority. They are working very hard nonstop and are always accommodating, so my heartiest thank you to all of the workers. I feel like the hospitality and service Shenzhen is giving regarding this anti-pandemic measures is honorable. Everyone is going through a hard time with the uncertainty of future, but if the city itself is highly accommodating and strives to help their communities, people feel safe. I hope the staff, hospitals, quarantine hotels and frontliners of Shenzhen know how much we appreciate them during this time and we hope this pandemic soon comes to an end.

— Diya Vinod Khemlani, an Indian high school student living in Futian

THE volunteers and workers are doing a terrific job, and we can only praise them for participating in such a large operation that sometimes can be very tiring.

I hope they know they are appreciated and that words of gratitude simply can’t just translate what the majority of people would wish to tell them. What they are doing is so important, and if I could tell them something, I would say thanks so much for doing a wonderful thing.

—Romario Severino, a Brazilian photographer

I ALWAYS have something to say to those tireless workers who deliver the virus test currently on a daily basis. I do so sympathize as the work is so repetitive and boring, and nobody seems to engage with them at all. They sit, they open their mouths, they say “ahhhh” and possibly “ckckck,” then they get up and leave. I say “Good morning,” “Good afternoon,” or “Good evening.” This surprises them and they look up. Then as they reach out with the swab, with a sweep of my hand l remove my upper denture to give them clear access to my throat. It’s very silly but it always raises a laugh and perhaps it brightens up their day for just a moment.

— Walter King, a British businessman living in Shekou, Nanshan District

I WOULD like to express my immense gratitude to the community staff and volunteers. They worked extremely hard 24/7 to make our lives easy and comfortable. Even the food delivery guys and deliveryman, they didn’t care for the security and delivered goods to lockdown and quarantine areas.

I hope the pandemic ends soon and we can live life freely without fear of this pandemic.

— Sandhya Jain from Nepal, living in Huangbei Subdistrict, Luohu District

I’M so grateful to all of the people that are helping us during these difficult times, without their help I don’t know how we could handle the situation. Whenever I can’t express what I mean in Chinese, every one of them seems to speak perfect English, Shenzhen is a truly international city!

— Jack Currie from New Zealand, living in Futian District

I DO not know if people are aware that both foreigners and local teachers are also donating their time to help with all these testing sites. There are the security staff in the communities and villages who are working tirelessly to enforce the rules put in place to keep us all safe. Let’s not forget about all the express delivery drivers who have made all our lives easier. Thank you, thank you, and thank you again.

Remember, self-care is very important. Don’t forget to find time to exercise, drink plenty of water, get at least 30-45 minutes of natural light and get plenty of rest. Spend fun time with family and friends. Do not worry about things you cannot control. Be grateful for the small things.

— Ms. Jones, an American teacher working in Longgang District

(Reporters: Song Yingwen, Liu Minxia, Tan Yifan, Cao Zhen, Wang Jingli and Chen Siqi)