Together Against COVID-19
Honoring Ai Guolin, the Hero in Harm’s Way

Hanoi - “Daddy, didn't you say you’d be back today? Why are you still wearing protective clothing?” came a soft child’s voice from a video.
In the 26 months since Ai Guolin was assigned to work at the Vinh Tan 1 Power Co Ltd., a subsidiary of CSG International Co. Ltd., in October 2019, Ai had taken only one annual leave.
He was scheduled to finish his work assignments in Vietnam and return home to China on November 25, 2021, but the sudden outbreak of COVID-19 disrupted his plans and that of many others. Ai was commissioned at this critical moment and went to the front lines to fight against the pandemic.
On November 19, 2021, at 11:41 a.m., a cheer came from the steam engine room of the Company as a 67-ton generator rotor of Unit 2 was successfully extracted, one day earlier than planned, laying a firm foundation for the overhaul to be carried out.
While everyone was working diligently on the overhaul of Unit 2, no one expected that the COVID-10 pandemic was creeping in and a battle against the real battle was about to begin.
The next day, officials from the Company stressed the comprehensive strengthening of prevention and control of the COVID-19 pandemic. Considering the situation of unit overhaul and shortage of personnel for pandemic prevention and control, Ai immediately cancelled his homecoming plans and fully engaged himself in work.
He verified and collected the specific information of the COVID-19 pandemic and provided detailed data for the decision-makers of the leading group for pandemic prevention and control of the Company.
Ai explained that, “the heavily armed protective clothing was suffocating and we were just a few steps away from the confirmed COVID-19 patients who needed to be transferred immediately. It was scary when I first began working, but once I started, the only thought left was to ensure all epidemic prevention work was done well. There was no time to be afraid.”
No matter how difficult or dangerous the situation is, this man always has a relaxing smile on his face.
It was urgent to relocate people to designated quarantine sites during the pandemic.
Ai Guolin and his colleague Zhang Meng inspected the surrounding hotels that might be used for quarantine sites making meticulously reviewing the environment, facilities and supplies of these potential hotel sites as well as making details of available services.
For those hotels that do not meet the quarantine requirements of the government and the Company, they will supervise them to improve the equipment and facilities in the shortest possible time.
Additionally, they also cooperated with the hotels to turn to the Vietnamese government for the approval of quarantine sites and coordinated with the Company’s business department to approve quarantine service contracts.
Within just two days, Ai and Zheng identified five quarantine hotels with nearly150 available rooms, which greatly relieved the pressure on the shortage of quarantine rooms.
Based on his work arrangement, Ai organized all departments to fill in the necessary detailed of the staff slated to be relocated and verified the accuracy of each piece of information personally, organized and prepared the documents for each batch of relocated people according to the requirements of the Vietnamese government.
To reduce the risk of exposure of other personnel to the virus, each relocation was arranged at night, and Ai took the lead in organizing the drivers, vehicles, disinfection operation, and other details. Sometimes relocations happened during rainy evenings and for nearly a month, Ai successfully organized the relocation of 16 batches of 128 people.
Since the outbreak of the pandemic, Ai Guolin had been at the prevention forefront of the company. He researched and analyzed the situation of the pandemic and assisted the leading group in the pandemic prevention and control of the company and formulating a detailed emergency plan. Ai also participated in improving various data sheets concerning pandemic prevention, pandemic control, and pandemic monitoring.
Participating in the volunteer service group for the pandemic prevention and control of the company, Ai was a leader in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, playing an exemplary role as a Party member. Whenever asked what he wants most when the pandemic is over, the man who hasn’t rested well for nearly 30 days smiled with evident bloodshot eyes and said, “I want a sound sleep.”
“Mom, I'll be home in two months. It's impossible to ask for leave now.”
Whenever he mentioned his aged mother who is nearly 80 years old, Ai Guolin’s voice choked up. When asked why he was working outside while the COVID-19 pandemic was raging, he said, “as a son and a father, I feel guilty about my family, but I am also part of the company. Someone has to be here to do these jobs. I simply want to do what I can for the company and everyone. No difficulty cannot be overcome. I believe that with everyone together fighting against COVID-19, we will win the battle against the pandemic.”
Ai bolted a few mouthfuls of food, clenched his fist with whispering cheer, jumped on the ferry bus and disappeared in the haze.