Hamid Dehghani, a volunteer in the COVID-19 fight, updates a Syrian man, who returned to the city of Yiwu in east China's Zhejiang Province, on the latest information about the virus control, March 6, 2020. Hamid, an Iranian businessman, has lived in Yiwu for around 17 years. (Xinhua/Zheng Mengyu)

Hamid Dehghani, an Iranian businessman, has lived in the city of Yiwu, a major small commodity hub in eastern China's Zhejiang Province, for around 17 years. Now he turns into a warrior fighting against the novel coronavirus in a local community.

After the outbreak started, the 55-year-old Iranian volunteered to join in the epidemic prevention and control team of the Jimingshan Community in Yiwu.

"The community is one of the communities with the most foreign residents in Yiwu. Known as an 'international residential community,' there is over 25,000 migrant population, among them, more than 1,400 traders are from over 70 countries," said He Wenjun, an official of the Jimingshan Community.

Therefore, Hamid, who can speak six languages, has been playing an important role in the fight against the deadly virus among foreigners. Since the epidemic spread across the world and more foreigners came back to Yiwu as the international trade market reopened in mid-February, Hamid is getting busier.

Hamid Dehghani, a volunteer in the COVID-19 fight, updates foreign residents on the latest information about the virus control in a community in the city of Yiwu in east China's Zhejiang Province, March 6, 2020. (Xinhua/Zheng Mengyu)

Learning that a foreign couple had recently returned to the community, Hamid visited them, alongside with community officials and medical workers.

"Hello, I'm a community volunteer. These are masks and disinfectant," Hamid talked to an Israeli man and gave him a bag of epidemic prevention materials provided by the community.

They checked his identity information and handed two thermometers to the Israeli man, asking him and his wife to report their body temperatures twice a day.

During the conversation, a woman was heading towards the apartment with two pet dogs. The man explained that was his wife, who just walked their dogs. She had traveled to Italy and flown to Shanghai on Feb. 25. She returned to the community two days later but was required to stay at home for a 14-day self-quarantine.

"For the sake of everyone's safety, you are supposed to stay at home for four more days. Please don't go out during this period," Hamid explained to the couple very patiently.

On Feb. 19, a father and a daughter from Seoul, the Republic of Korea (ROK), returned to Yiwu. Hamid and community workers also visited the two after a 14-day quarantine. They reminded them that besides monitoring their health, they were suggested to reduce contact with other Korean friends back to China.

He also told them that the local government would arrange for transportation and designated hotels for medical observation for people from ROK, and he wanted the father and daughter could spread the information to more people from ROK.

Hamid Dehghani, a volunteer in the COVID-19 fight, helps distribute medical supplies to a foreign resident in a community in the city of Yiwu in east China's Zhejiang Province, March 6, 2020. (Xinhua/Zheng Mengyu)

Apart from visiting homes, Hamid also purchases things, sends daily necessities, publicizes epidemic prevention and control information and participates in night patrols.

In Jimingshan Community, there are a total of 39 foreign volunteers who have taken part in the epidemic prevention and control. Hamid hopes that more foreigners could join the team after they were released from medical quarantine.

Leaving the business to his Chinese wife, Hamid spends most of his time helping others in the community. But he is also worried about the epidemic situation in his own country.

He said he bears the responsibility to tell his Iranian compatriots about his experience in China. "I hope the anti-epidemic experience in China could help my country pull through," Hamid said.

"Virus knows no borders. I'm just offering a little help within my capabilities," he added.