ABOUT 500 medical staff will leave Shanghai today for Wuhan, heart of the coronavirus epidemic, the local health authority said yesterday.

Local hospitals received an order from the National Health Commission on Sunday night, calling fordoctors and nurses willing to go to the frontline.

“We received applications soon after it was known that our hospital is required to dispatch 150 medical staff,” said Min Jianying, an official atRenji Hospital. “Many medical staff were eager to go and we chose the most experienced doctors and nurses from the intensive care unit and the respiratory disease and infectious departments as well as from other supporting departments.”

Min said the hospital had been on standby for the order for a long time. “We had been preparing luggage, personal stuff like disposable underwear, snacks and protective outfits since the national health authority started to send medical teams to Wuhan,” she said.

Hospital officials helped pack cases overnight on Monday to ensure every team member is well equipped.

Renji Hospital sent a team of 60 doctors, 90 nurses and six management and support staff with members aged between 23 and 59.

Zhou Lingyi and Yu Jinghai, both Renji nurses, postponed their wedding on February 28 to go to Wuhan together.

“Anyone who is left in Shanghai will worry about the other, so we decided to go together,” said Zhou, who cut her long hair very short to avoid infection. “The wedding can take place when we come back.”

A special barbershop for frontline medical staff opened at the hospital on February 14 at its Eastern Division as it’s hard to find hair salons open these days. Many nurses rushed to the shop on Monday and Tuesday to have their hair cut short to avoid risks of infection on the frontline.

Sun Ping, vice chairman of the hospital’s Labor Union, said long hair gets in the way for medical staff in the thick of the epidemic and having to wear protective gear all day long.

With medical teams being called up to support the battle in Wuhan, somebody has to take care of their hair.

“Tony the Barbers” officially opened on Valentine’s Day — “Tony” being a cute term for barber for many Chinese.

It quickly attracted around 20 customers on its first day and many compliments, according to veteran barber “Tony Yao,” who has been shaving surgical patients at Renji Hospital for over 20 years.

“I come to the barber shop early every morning to disinfect all my tools and the environment. During this critical time, I need to dedicate myself wholly,” he said.

Among his customers, most men stopped for a quick shave before heading back to work, and many woman came to say goodbye to their long hair with tears, but no regrets.

“The shorter, the merrier” has become the only requirement for most medical staff, so they can fit into surgical caps.

“I haven’t had short hair since graduating from college,” said Chen Sisi, a geriatric nurse at the hospital who is joining the medical support team. “I may have no time to wash my hair on the frontline if it’s too long. Plus, it’s tricky for me to put on protection gear.”

Chen chose an undercut fashion from the Internet, which she could still style into a neat, easy bun.

Chen’s style quickly went viral among female medical workers, and even got a nickname as “half-egg cut.”