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

A vendor who had planned to make a killing during Chinese New Year has now donated 18 tonnes of fresh produce to a hospital tackling the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak.

Li Jiaju, 52, has reportedly helped ease resource pressure on the more than 700 medical workers at Suizhou Central Hospital in Central China’s Hubei Province.

The city is 100 miles north-west of provincial capital of Wuhan, the epicentre of the novel coronavirus strain, and was the 11th city to be put on lockdown by Chinese authorities.

According to reports, fruit and vegetable supplies have dwindled since travel restrictions were placed on the province, and the price of local produce has skyrocketed as a result.

Mr Li, who does business at Suizhou Agricultural and Nonstaple Product Logistics Park, revealed he ordered large quantities of vegetables from southern Hainan Province before the Chinese New Year period, hoping to cash in on the holiday season.

However, seeing how desperately short on food supplies some hospitals were while fighting the respiratory disease outbreak, the selfless merchant decided to donate all 18 tonnes of his stock instead.

He told local media: “Medics are saving lives on the front line, so we’re supporting them from behind by donating some resources.

“Money can be earned again.”

Local officials assisted in sending three lorries to transport Mr Li’s donations, which included 100 boxes of cucumbers weighing 4 tonnes, and 880 boxes of green peppers weighing 14 tonnes.

The much needed food relief was sent to the canteen of Suizhou Central Hospital on 30th January.

The Wuhan coronavirus has so far killed 362 people, all but one in mainland China, while more than 17,300 are infected worldwide.

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