SHANGHAI, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Over 206,900 volunteers in Shanghai have joined the battle against the novel coronavirus outbreak, according to the Shanghai Association of Volunteers.

To aid the city's epidemic prevention and control, Shanghai on Jan. 28 issued an initiative to recruit volunteers. Since then thousands of citizens have participated in more than 6,780 epidemic prevention programs, with an aggregate service time exceeding 8.37 million hours.

Among the total, those aged between 35 and 60 accounted for over 45 percent, while those aged over 60 made up about 38 percent.

In neighborhoods, volunteers help with body temperature checks, purchase of epidemic prevention materials, food delivery and disinfection of public areas. At highway entries, railway stations and airports, volunteers help register passengers' information, maintain order and offer multilingual translation services. Many also help provide psychological counseling to the public on the internet.

Shanghai has taken measures to ensure volunteers' safety amid the epidemic. Supplies including face masks, medical gloves, goggles and raincoats have been offered to them.

Guide books on epidemic prevention and control have also been distributed to volunteers so that they can better protect themselves while offering voluntary services.