Gatekeepers endure long hours to keep their neighborhoods free from infection. Yang Zekun reports.

Having donned goggles, a face mask and gloves and brought out his thermometer gun, 39-year-old Li Guibao was ready for his 7 pm shift.

He wasn't working at a hospital, but at the check-in center of Fengyayuan community in Beijing's Changping district.

As overly cautious as it may appear, Li's employer said the equipment is essential to prevent its community security guards from becoming infected with the novel coronavirus.

The guards interact with hundreds of people every day, identifying community members and excluding nonresidents, which puts them at a heightened risk of contracting the virus.

"We security guards and staff members of the local government had never done the job of testing and checking before," Li said.