A medical worker in a People's Liberation Army unit gives a thumbs-up upon her arrival at Wuhan Tianhe International Airport in Hubei province on Feb 2, 2020. [Photo by Chen Xiaodong/For China Daily]

By Zhao Lei

Trucks and troops from the People's Liberation Army played important roles in the construction of three temporary hospitals in Wuhan, capital of Central China's Hubei province and epicenter of the ongoing novel coronavirus outbreak, the military said.

A transport support team used 50 trucks on Monday and Tuesday to carry materials to three locations in Wuhan, including a gymnasium and an exhibition center, which are being converted into hospitals to receive patients infected with the novel coronavirus, the PLA said in a statement issued on Wednesday.

The troops worked day and night and transported thousands of beds and mattresses to the three places, it said.

The impact of the epidemic has led to manpower shortages and a lack of transport capacity in Wuhan's logistics businesses, forcing the city government to ask the military for help.

The PLA established a transport support team of 260 troops and 130 trucks on Sunday to help the logistics companies transport daily necessities such as vegetables.