For Fazal Rahim, a business manager at the Port Qasim Power Plant, 37 kilometers southeast of Karachi, capital of Pakistan's Sindh province, the pandemic was no impediment.
"COVID-19 has not slowed down the pace of our work," he said. "The credit goes to the management and workers, both Pakistanis and Chinese."
Out of a total of 1,060 employees at the plant, 768 are Pakistanis and 292 are Chinese.
"Stable operations continue at the power plant. Not a single worker has contracted the virus so far," said Xi Peng, deputy chief representative of China's Power Construction Corp. "We have made sure every worker complies with the standard operating procedures to keep the virus at bay."
"All employees have been taking precautionary measures, such as wearing masks in public places, washing hands frequently and avoiding large gatherings," Xi said.
Until now, the plant has reported no cases of COVID-19 and no suspected cases either.
The coal-fired power plant, an independent power producer, is one of the key energy projects on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor that has been jointly developed by Powerchina Resources Ltd and Qatar-based investment company Al Mirqab Capital Ltd.
Once complete, it can meet the electricity needs of 4 million households.
"Since the operations began in April 2018, we have steadily increased the number of Pakistani employees, especially for technical operations," Xi said.
Local people are working at the plant as skilled laborers and logistics service providers.
Fazal is happy to work here. "The Chinese workers' dedication and commitment to work has almost transformed a dream into reality."
Hu Ling, a manager at the plant's corporate culture department, chose to stay at the plant during the Lunar New Year this year. "One needs to serve the company with devotion and enthusiasm," Hu said. "We have to accomplish the CPEC."
"I stay in touch with my family on video call," she said. "Although the epidemic is severe, I firmly believe that through wise decisions, the society's unity and strong support of the people from all walks of life, we can surely overcome the epidemic," she said.
"The CPEC is a priority," said Mohammad Saad, a senior Pakistani official. "We have made sure the COVID-19 pandemic doesn't affect the progress of projects under the CPEC."
Projects under the CPEC are in the process of completion.
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