Story By: John Feng, Sub-Editor:  Joseph Golder, Agency: Asia Wire Report

This video seen over two million times online shows a Chinese nurse on the front line of the coronavirus outbreak celebrating her birthday as her colleagues sing to her.

The touching scene recorded in the city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the crisis in Central China’s Hubei Province, shows nurse Li Muhang’s colleagues each standing in their own rooms while singing happy birthday into the hotel corridor.

According to reports, the footage was taken on 1st February on the 10th day of a city-wide lockdown aimed at containing the novel coronavirus, which has so far killed 362 and infected more than 17,300 others worldwide.

Mum-of-one Ms Li, 32, who is among thousands of doctors and nurses sent to assist medical facilities in Wuhan, is from the department of emergency medicine at the Second Hospital of Jilin University in China’s north-eastern China’s Jilin Province.

On the occasion of her 32nd birthday, Ms Li and her colleagues had been in Wuhan for seven days, assisting with nine-hour shifts and being shuttled between a hospital and her isolated hotel room.

Instead of receiving flowers or cake, she was treated to a meal of noodles and a happy birthday song from her coworkers, all of whom kept their distance in order to minimise the risk of spreading the disease.

Ms Li, who has a three-year-old daughter back in Jilin, told local media: “After they sang happy birthday to me, everyone closed their doors and continue to self-isolate.

“Then I went out to collect my birthday noodles.

“It was very touching. I hope our entire Jilin team stays safe and healthy.”

Ms Li’s colleague Wang Yanjun said: “As we’re in an all out fight against this viral outbreak, everyone is under a lot of stress every day.

“For Li Muhang’s birthday, we weren’t able to prepare any fresh flowers or cake due to the lack of available resources and limited opportunities to go outside.

“But we contacted the canteen, and they were able to prepare some noodles and an egg for her.

“We’re not allowed to come into contact with one another during this time, so in the morning I called out into the corridor, and all the medics opened their doors and sang happy birthday to Li Muhang.”

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