TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Volunteers played a key role in keeping the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic under control in Taiwan, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said Wednesday (Dec. 2).

She was speaking at a ceremony honoring volunteers in Taoyuan City, CNA reported. Noting that the city hosts the country’s most important gateway, the president remarked that volunteers had shown up at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to help out with health checks on arriving passengers.

In addition, volunteers also helped local governments across the country execute pandemic prevention policies, she said. The people willing to devote their time to positive causes often include those above the age of 65 and even in their 80s, showing that government efforts to mobilize the elderly have paid off.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare has identified 284 volunteers who formed a group that phoned people during their quarantine or isolation, while more than 10,000 volunteers have assisted with the distribution of face masks at pharmacies across the country.