Lack of understanding

While the security guards need to settle their nerves every day, some residents are uncooperative and others even scold the guards for doing their jobs.

"Some residents, especially in the first month (of the lockdown), thought our actions were useless and caused inconvenience," Wang said. "Some thought we were looking at them in a questioning way and said they were in good health. They asked why we had to take their temperature."

Wang recalled a woman who returned from a supermarket with bags of shopping in both hands.

When Wang took her temperature and asked to see her entry permit, the woman scolded him.

"Are you blind? Can't you see the things in my hands? Why are you only checking me rather than other people?" she said.

Wang held her bags so she could show him her permit. He politely explained that everyone needed to be checked, and that all the other residents had shown their passes and had their temperatures taken.

Although that sort of behavior and aggressive attitude saddens Wang and his colleagues, they insist on doing their duty because they know that if any unchecked people entered the community, the 2,000-plus residents could be placed at risk.

"We work for the safety of the community. We are on call 24 hours a day－we can bear the extreme weather, but sometimes distrust and misunderstandings by residents make us unhappy," Wang said.

Ji Pengfei has also dealt with uncooperative residents. When he was checking a car trunk in late February, the driver refused to answer questions and accused Ji of invading his privacy.

He questioned the guards in an aggressive manner, asking what authority they had to check his car.

"I was angry, but I still needed to explain patiently and politely and show him our documents. His feelings were understandable, but our job is to offer residents the best service possible. We still need their support and understanding, though," Ji said.

To make people's lives more convenient, Ji has led his workmates in voluntarily helping to deliver packages to residents in quarantine who could not be visited by outsiders, and also helped dispose of their garbage.