BEIJING -- Amid the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in China, more than 2.6 million deputies of the people never stopped their service.

From submitting epidemic-related suggestions to the legislative bodies at various levels to fighting the disease on the front line as pioneering professionals or volunteers, they have made a difference in the country's anti-virus battle.

Among them, nearly 3,000 are deputies to the National People's Congress (NPC), the top legislature.

MAKING SUGGESTIONS

As of March 10, the General Office of the NPC Standing Committee had received 133 suggestions from NPC deputies on epidemic prevention and control.

Their suggestions offer valuable insights from different perspectives for the decision-making process in the country's fight against the epidemic, according to the NPC Standing Committee.

For example:

-- Dang Yongfu, an NPC deputy who has conducted intensive research on the epidemic situation in rural areas, proposed measures to curb the spread of the virus in rural areas as migrant workers returned to their hometowns during the Spring Festival holiday.

-- NPC deputy Nie Pengju, an entrepreneur, suggested accelerating the production of face masks.

-- NPC deputy Cai Weiping, a doctor working on the front line, proposed expanding hospitals dedicated to the treatment of infectious diseases.

-- Ma Yuhong, an NPC deputy working in auditing, submitted a suggestion on giving financial aid to small and medium-sized enterprises in the near term.

Their suggestions also include placing a full ban on eating wild animals, revising the laws on infectious disease prevention and treatment, and improving major public health emergency response mechanisms.

In late February, the NPC Standing Committee swiftly adopted a decision on thoroughly banning the illegal trading of wildlife and eliminating the consumption of wild animals to safeguard people's health.

FIGHTING ON FRONT LINE

Coming from different walks of life, deputies to people's congresses at various levels serve on a part-time basis. Except for exercising their duty as members of legislative bodies, many of them are also fighting on the front line in their professional fields, especially those with medical expertise.

On Jan. 27, NPC deputy Zhang Boli, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering who was directing epidemic prevention work in Tianjin, flew to the hard-hit city of Wuhan on short notice, devoting himself to battling the virus there ever since.

Having pushed himself to the breaking point, Zhang fell ill and had his gall bladder removed on Feb. 16. He returned to work only three days after the surgery.

Chen Jingyu, cardiothoracic surgery expert and vice president of Wuxi People's Hospital in east China's Jiangsu Province, led a team in treating critically ill COVID-19 patients.

In his capacity as an NPC deputy, Chen also submitted a suggestion on establishing a special medical team treating COVID-19 patients in Wuhan with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machines.

Deputies from non-medical fields are also making contributions: some company executives volunteered to deliver medical masks to the epicenter, some offered hotel rooms to accommodate people under medical observation, and some ensured the production of essential drugs during the holiday.

Deputies working at the primary level can be found engaged in containment efforts in communities, including recording health conditions of residents and discouraging public gatherings.

Ji Mingdong, an NPC deputy and a village Party chief in the outbreak epicenter province of Hubei, led village officials to persuade every family of the village not to hold any banquet until the outbreak is under control.

NPC deputy Zhang Liansheng, also a community Party chief in east China's Fujian Province, promoted epidemic prevention knowledge on a livestreaming platform with catchy jingles.