A video showing medical workers from Northwest China’s Xinjiang Autonomous Region guiding patients to dance in a “Fang Cang” makeshift hospital in Wuhan went viral, with many netizens saying they were deeply touched by medical workers’ cheerful spirit and optimism in fighting the COVID-19 outbreak.
The dancer named Bargul Tolheng, a medical worker of Kazak ethnic minority originally from the Second Hospital in Urumqi of Xinjiang. She is among the second batch of medical personnel from Xinjiang to assist Wuhan.
“We are responsible for taking care of patients with light symptoms in the C area of the makeshift hospital,” Bargul told the Global Times.
The leader of our group found that the patients are in low morale which would not be good for their recovery. He suggested that I perform Xinjiang dances to cheer them up,” she said.
When Bargul, upon wearing her medical outfit and began to dance to the music, some patients stood aside and watched. More people joined her waggling their hands and waists and dancing in the hospital on Wednesday.
“After the dance, many patients chatted with me happily and asked me how I could manage to waggle my neck while wearing a medical outfit,” Bargul said.
The video of the patients and Bargul dancing together were uploaded on Chinese social media and went viral quickly on Wednesday. Many netizens commented that medical staff from Xinjiang brought their positive attitude and optimistic mood to Wuhan patients, encouraging them to recover sooner.
With help from across the nation, Wuhan and Hubei will overcome the current hardship and win the battle against the virus.
Bargul told the Global Times that there are 102 members in the second batch of medical workers from Xinjiang, among whom, 21 are ethnic minorities and 31 are the members of Communist Party of China (CPC).
“I wrote a letter to my hospital to voluntarily assist in Wuhan on January 28. The whole nation is a family and we need to help family members in Wuhan who are in need,” Bargul said.
She added that as a CPC member from an ethnic minority group, she wants to join the battle against the virus.
Many places across China have sent medical staff to support Wuhan and Hubei, where the epidemic situation is most severe.
Up until February 8, Xinjiang has deployed three groups of 386 medical staff to Wuhan, people.com.cn reported.
Bargul Tolheng, a Kazak girl from the Second Hospital in Urumqi in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, wears a medical outfit. she is among the 102 medical staff from Xinjiang to support Wuhan amid the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. Photo: Courtesy of Bargul
