Situated in the southwestern corner of the southwestern province of Yunnan, the city of Ruili in Dehong Dai and Jingpo autonomous prefecture borders Myanmar on three sides, sharing a 170-kilometer frontier with the Southeast Asian nation.

As a result of imported cases of COVID-19, it has suffered four domestic outbreaks since September last year.

To deal with the pressure of epidemic prevention and control, Ruili has set up 631 checkpoints and has put 8,821 people in charge of watching the border in shifts 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

In March, 31-year-old veteran Zhao Xingpan was transferred from the province's Lianghe county to the Huonong Ferry checkpoint in Ruili, where he now works with 38 others to prevent people from entering illegally by crossing the Ruili River.

Zhao said that on a single day in March, 10 people tried to cross the river. He and his colleagues caught the smugglers and handed them over to local police.

Many governmental departments and local businesses are also participating in epidemic prevention work and have assigned employees to the checkpoints. Among them is Zhao Lin.

She and her colleagues at the checkpoint endured scorching temperatures, humidity and mosquito bites in the summer and cold nights last winter.

They are supported in their work by residents of nearby villages, who occasionally send supplies of vegetables and meat to those working at the checkpoints.