Living in the shadow of the coronavirus
MASKS ARE COMPULSORY IN PUBLIC PLACES, RESTAURANTS AND SHOPS HAVE LIMITED OPENING TIMES AND ALL SCHOOLS AND PUBLIC SERVICES HAVE SHUT DOWN. MARIA PEPPER REPORTS ON THE EXPERIENCE OF WEXFORD PEOPLE LIVING IN CHINA IN THE SHADOW OF THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK
WEXFORD residents living in China are witnessing at first hand the major health emergency created by the Coronavirus epidemic.
Scoil Mhuire teacher Kathy Kane is based in the city of Suzhou with her husband, the artist Declan Cody, while gardening writer Andrew Collier of Piercestown has been living in Beijing where his wife Mary McMahon is agricultural attache in the Irish Embassy.
Kathy who is on a sabbatical from her Coolcotts school said Suzhou is about 500 kilometres or eight hours by train from Wuhan where the Coronavirus broke out.
‘The virus is having a big impact on daily life. The whole of China is on restricted lockdown. All schools are closed until further notice. Schools in Hong Kong are closed until March. At the moment, my own school is closed until February 18 but that is being reviewed every single day’, she said.
‘All public services have closed and restaurants and bars are on restricted opening hours. You can buy food and you can get get water but most of the restaurants and shops are closed or maybe open for an hour or two a day.
‘Access around the city is very limited. You have to wear a mask. You won’t be allowed on the metro or allowed into a shop. You’re stopped by security guards who are everywhere, telling you to put one on’ said
Declan Cody and Kathy Kane wearing their masks.
Kathy.
In Suzhou which has a population of about 11 million and is close to Shanghai, many people lives in enormous compounds.
‘They’re like great big housing estates with gated entrances from every side, allowing you to go to different parts of the city’ said Kathy.
‘Our compound is about three times the size of Clonard village with five or six exits and entrances. All of those gated entrances have been closed except one entry for the entire estate which is manned by guards who take your temperature on entrance and exit. If your temperature is over the limit, they have to ring an emergency number and then the guards or an ambulance will take you away.
‘In fairness, I haven’t seen that happen. Everything is good humoured and very pleasant. The reality is that they are doing their absolute utmost to keep this thing under control.
‘In our apartment building, there is the smell of bleach every single day. The cleaners are out, cleaning, cleaning,
The entrance to the compound where Kathy and Declan reside.
cleaning. Hand sanitisers are supplied by all the management companies. You are advised to wear your gloves.
‘There are protective coverings on the lift doors and lift buttons.
‘There are warning signs everywhere about trying to stay at home, advising people to avoid unnecessary travel, as Teresa Mannion would say.
‘This is kind of standard for all of China at the moment. People are staying in their houses, there’s nobody out on the streets, very few people have returned to work. All international people who were away have stayed away.
Kathy said there is ‘a quiet, desolate and eerie feeling in the streets around cities which are normally extremely busy and full of life and noise’.
‘I don’t know if people are afraid. I think a lot of westerners who left were. People with young children and people with elderly parents are afraid. People who have travelled in and around where the virus broke out are afraid.
‘People are being very compliant. The whole Chinese population that I have met here in this city, have been unbelievable. They don’t give out, they don’t complain, they have no problem dealing with the restrictions on a daily basis.
‘The general attitude among people is we can get through this, let’s work together, let’s support our government with the initiatives they have taken on.
‘It’s incredibly admirable how amazing the people are, despite the fact that some of them only travel home once a year to see their family because they are working six, seven days a week.
‘Chinese New Year is the biggest mass migration of a population in the world. A lot of their cities are nine or ten hours away on a bus. Some people only get to see their families once a year. They would have missed the Chinese New Year celebrations this year which is very very sad.
‘There is also the economic impact that it’s having on small
THE ENTRY TO THE ESTATE IS MANNED BY GUARDS WHO TAKE YOUR TEMPERATURE ON ENTRANCE AND EXIT. IF YOUR TEMPERATURE IS OVER THE LIMIT, THEY HAVE TO RING AN EMERGENCY NUMBER AND THEN THE GUARDS OR AN AMBULANCE WILL TAKE YOU AWAY
grocery and vegetable shops around where we live. People’s incomes have been eroded. Food has just been left to rot. It’s very sad for the local people and of course really tragic for people whose families are suffering, in hospital or in quarantine.
‘There have been 37 confirmed cases in Suzhou, no deaths. These numbers change by the minute and according to where your sources come from. I would imagine the figure seems pretty reasonable for a city this size’.
Kathy said relatives at home in Ireland are concerned about them and ‘probably more worried than we are here because we can see the controls and restrictions that are in place’.
‘ I think the global media has probably blown it up into something hysterical Maybe there is a reason for that but it’s hard when you’re here. We don’t have access to global media or Sky. We are relying on local sources for our information.
‘In our school community,
we have groups who use the Chinese version of whatsApp, called WeChat, which is the way everyone communicates.’
Restrictions were introduced gradually from January 25, first with the wearing of masks, followed by advice against travelling.
Shops were due to close for the Chinese New Year, opening by January 27 but over the following days, western-style bars and restaurants closed and local businesses just didn’t re-open.
Tourist facilites and places of interest closed down along with cinemas, theatres. Even outdoor areas became out of bounds.
‘It has been gradual with the latest being the compound gates’ she said. ‘Tonight, we heard that a friend’s apartment block was put into quarantine for a week’.
She is currently teaching her students online from home. ‘Schools are making decisions independently about online learning. Our school is set up for it anyway and is very international so children are scattered all over at the moment’.
The Department of Foreign Affairs is available at the end of a telephone line and is ‘reaching out all the time’, she said.
The Department hasn’t offered specific advice regarding travel one way or the other to Irish people already in China, she said.
On its website, the Department is advising people to ‘avoid non-essential travel’ to and within China, particularly the province of Hubei in which Wuhan is situated.
‘Citizens with underlying medical conditions should not travel to China at this time. As a precautionary measure, if your continued presence in China is not essential, citizens are advised to contact their travel agency or airlines regarding available routes out’.
By contrast, in the UK, the Foreign Office has advised all Britons in China to leave if they can, to reduce exposure to the virus, a move that was criticised as an over-reaction by some.
Piercestown resident Andrew Collier who has been based in Beijing for several months said many shops and restaurants were closed for the Chinese New Year and this was extended for an extra week so the city is quieter than usual.
‘Many tourist sites are still closed but supermarkets have been open throughout. General life is going on. It’s being dealt with from what I can see’, said Andrew who returned to Ireland for family reasons last weekend.
‘Temperature testing is being carried out at the entrance to hotels and offices and face masks are being worn. I would say people are cautious. Personally, I’m not worried at all. There are no restrictions in Beijing as far as I know other than the closed tourist sites and travel so some parts of the country’, he said.
‘It’s such a shame for the Chinese people as they have been nothing but friendly, helpful and generous since I’ve been here’, said Andrew, adding that he is looking forward to returning to China.