(Yicai Global) April 7 -- Shanghai has been in a phased lockdown since March 28, putting pressure on the property managers of residential communities to ensure that essential services are running smoothly. Yicai Global spoke to a manager at real estate giant China Vanke’s property service arm to find out what a day in his life is like.

Liu Lizu and his team at Vanke Service are in charge of a community in the city’s downtown Jing’an district and have been putting in 20-hour days for the last 20 days to make sure that everything is in order.

His team has been reduced to just 10 people, as a number of staff members are in quarantine. Every day they get up a 5 a.m. and work until 1 a.m. or 2 a.m. Among their many duties, they are responsible for delivering food supplies to each household, collecting the garbage and assisting with Covid-19 tests.

There are 4,700 permanent residents in the community, nearly half of whom are over 60 years old, Liu said. Everyday Liu and his team check that the old-age pensioners are alright, and help with their daily needs, such as sending oxygen tanks to the door.

So far the community has enough food supplies, Liu said. Residents can purchase their own groceries online and the municipal government is also helping out. Vanke can order the necessary epidemic prevention materials through its own suppliers, he added.

Liu and his team deliver grocery orders to the residents. During lockdown, people living in the community are not allowed to leave their homes. Their online purchases are delivered to the outside gate and the property management team takes it to each household.

A member of Liu’s team helps a person queuing to be tested for Covid-19. When the residents are tested, it is up to Liu’s team to help the medical staff and ensure that everyone is following the rules. People now know to stand two meters away from each other and are more willing to co-operate, Liu said.

A property management team member collects garbage from each household. As the residents cannot go out, they are not able to dispose of their own garbage. So Liu and his team need to collect the rubbish and put it in the communal trash bins for the garbage truck to collect.

Liu and his team sort through government supplies. The last shipment arrived on April 5 and we were able to distribute the supplies to the residents the same day, Liu said.

Liu and his colleagues sleep together on the office floor. Although conditions are difficult, he knows his work is of benefit to others and this gives him a sense of achievement. “I believe that things will definitely get better, it is only a matter of time,” he added.

Editor: Kim Taylor