With soft songs sung by nurse Lu Xue, the baby fell asleep in her arms. Lu continued to comfort the infant for nearly six hours. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
 
An 8-month-old baby quarantined alone received good care from his temporary mothers at Harbin Children's Hospital in Harbin, Heilongjiang province.
 
The infant boy, nicknamed Haohao, was sent to the hospital on Jan 30 for medical observation because his family members were infected with the novel coronavirus.
 
He cried in the unfamiliar environment as he sought comfort.
 
Caring for Haoao increased the workload of the medical staff, but the nurses tried their best to make him feel as comfortable as he would be at home.
 
Nurses Ma Jing and Lu Xue are both unmarried and had no experience of looking after a baby.
 
When the head nurse Yan Xiubin learned about their efforts, she returned to the hospital from home to teach the inexperienced women how to change diapers and dissolve milk powder at a suitable temperature.
 
The two young nurses put on protective suits to avoid cross-infection as they held Haohao in their arms.
 
With the soft songs sung by Lu, the baby fell asleep in her arms, and Lu stayed with the infant for nearly six hours.
 
Haohao tested negative for the novel coronavirus three consecutive times and went home on Feb 3.