At the other end of the international call, Huang Ping reported to the journalist, “At the outbreak of COVID-19, many Chinese students studying in England wanted to go back home, but at that time, English schools generally didn’t suspend the schooling. Overseas parents also expected to help their children through us.” On 11th March, Huang Ping negotiated with the council and finally built the “WeChat group for joint epidemic prevention” without hesitation. 12 hours after the group building, the upper limit of 500 group members was reached, as lots of overseas Chinese, Chinese students abroad and parents joined the group in succession. 

The WeChat group released positive information on COVID-19, shared experience on epidemic prevention, and invited experts and scholars to answer group members’ questions and so on. When any group members felt uncomfortable, Huang Ping and her team contacted local TCM doctors for emergent diagnosis. In addition, they mailed drugs to children who found it was inconvenient to go out.

To deliver masks to overseas Chinese in England who were in urgent need of masks, Huang Ping and members of the Zhejiang UK Association bought masks from different areas. Masks were hard to buy and their price was rising drastically. Besides, they had to get the masks by themselves and the quality of some masks was poor. Some people falsely claimed that they were selling masks in the WeChat group, but they quit the group after receiving the payments for the masks.

Right at that time, several departments of Zhejiang Province successively called them to ask about their situation and satisfied Huang Ping’s pressing need.

The first anti-epidemic materials were from the Zhuji Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese. Afterward, the Zhejiang UK Association successively received the donations from Zhejiang Chinese Overseas Friendship Association, Zhejiang Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, Zhejiang Chamber of International Commerce, Zhejiang Entrepreneurs Association, Ningbo Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, Hangzhou Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, and Shaoxing Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese and so on. It promptly conducted a questionnaire survey on overseas Chinese in England and mailed anti-epidemic materials to those who needed them.

Huang Ping said, “Everything will be fine.”

跨洋电话那头，黄萍告诉记者：“疫情爆发时，好多在英国的中国留学生都想回家，但那时基本上英国的学校都没有停课。海外的家长也希望通过我们帮帮自己的孩子。” 黄萍在3月11日与理事会协商动员，果断建立“携手抗疫微信群”，十二小时之内入群的华人、华侨、留学生和家长的人数就达到了五百人的上限。

群里发布疫情正面信息、分享抗疫防疫经验、邀请专家学者为群成员答疑解惑等等。碰到群成员有不舒服的征兆，黄萍和团队为他们联系当地的中医进行紧急问诊，还为不方面出门的孩子寄送药物。

为了给有需要的在英华人华侨送上急需的口罩，黄萍和浙江会的成员们四处购买口罩。口罩很难买，价格也在疯涨，还需要自取，质量也不好，还出现过收了钱之后就退了群的诈骗事件。　　

就在这时，浙江省好几个部门纷纷来电关心，解了黄萍的燃眉之急。

最早的一批家乡抗疫物资在自于诸暨市侨联，紧接着英国浙江会陆陆续续收到浙江省海外联谊会、浙江省侨联、浙江省国际商会、浙商总会、宁波市侨联、杭州市侨联、绍兴市侨联等送来的爱心速递。浙江会在第一时间向在英华人华侨作了问卷调查，向有需要的人寄去抗疫物资。　　

黄萍说，“一切都会好起来的”。

(Executive Editor: Ye Ke)