HANGZHOU — Recently, a bilingual letter on how to prevent the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) was quickly spread in a WeChat group with more than 100 foreigners who live in East China's Zhejiang province.

Eckhard Goessl, a group member and also a German businessman living in Ningbo in the province for nearly 18 years, immediately shared this letter with his friends living in the province and told them not to fear but to stay at home and take preventive measures.

This letter was released by the Ningbo municipal government, targeted at foreign residents in this city. Since Jan 29, cities with large foreign populations in the province such as Hangzhou, Ningbo, Wenzhou and Lishui have released similar information.

These letters focus on how to follow authoritative information, stay away from sources of the virus, keep good hygiene, cooperate with the community in terms of disease prevention and control and seek medical treatment in a timely manner. All of the above has provided guidance for these foreigners who may otherwise find it difficult to keep up with the latest situation of the epidemic.

"This self-protection information is very effective. After reading it, I immediately shared it with my friends and told them to avoid contact with wild animals and how to wash their hands and sanitize the things around them," said Goessl.

In addition to focusing on his own protection, Goessl is also concerned about the epidemic. He appreciates that he has been able to read a large amount of authoritative information in English and continuously receives updated data to keep up with the current situation of the epidemic, such as the number of confirmed cases and changes in train and bus schedules.

"I must say that the Chinese government is doing a very good job," said Goessl.

He added that China really cares about its people, and prevention and control measures are in place. Measures like the city-wide lockdown on Wuhan, building makeshift hospitals and the extension of the holiday should be well recognized.

Alfonso Guipsot, a Mexican engineer who is in the same WeChat group with Goessl, praised the protective measures in his community as "reassuring."

"On the morning of Jan 31, I noticed that security guards at the gate were wearing masks. Antibacterial hand sanitizer was provided at the door of the unit, which we can use after touching the door, key, access card and elevator button," said Guipsot.

When talking about his import and export trade, Goessl, also a businessman, said that he has been working at home and communicating with foreign customers and partners.

"At present, our business is running normally. We have just received orders for summer hats and cowboy hats from customers in the United States, and they will be produced in our Wenling and Yiwu factories," he said.

Another Finnish young entrepreneur, Lauri Tammi, who has been in Hangzhou for six and a half years, is optimistic about his business. "A lot of Finnish and foreign companies are waiting for our evaluation opinions," Tammi said. "But it is very important that they still have confidence in China, and they have never said they would give up the Chinese market."

Not long ago, Tammi received an open letter in Chinese and English from the Hangzhou municipal government. Much of the letter's content has come from his and other foreign residents' opinions, giving him a sense of fulfillment and belonging.

The letter not only advocates "focusing on authoritative information, minimizing going out and strengthening self-protection," but also allows foreign friends to "participate in joint prevention and control." "Hangzhou is our home. At this critical moment, let's unite and guard our beloved home."

Although his company's trade consultation activity scheduled in February and March would be impacted, Tammi is still quite positive.

"Honestly, I am not very worried because the Chinese government is devoted to solving the problem with 110 percent of its efforts," said Tammi.

In Tammi's view, the epidemic was actually "a crisis with opportunities" — opportunities to build mutual trust and help each other. He said that some foreign friends around him are ready to do their part to help with this campaign.

Brett Lyndall Singh, a South African student studying pediatrics at Wenzhou Medical University, is actively playing his role. Singh, who is fluent in Chinese, has uploaded short videos in Tik Tok, China's leading short-video platform. He uses the videos to demonstrate that Wenzhou's epidemic prevention and control has made him "reassured," and he also speaks Chinese to explain the details of wearing a mask.