‘I fear police will drag me from my home’
AN EXPAT trapped inwuhan is living in fear of police knocking on his door and throwing his family into a detainment site for suspected Coronavirus patients.
Wayne Duplessis, 58, said yesterday that having a temperature more than 38C meant people were held in makeshift wards in stadiums, where they were likely to get the virus.
The Canadian father-ofthree, who teaches in the city, urged international leaders to supply portable testing kits to help “overwhelmed” medics.
Speaking after a video emerged of patients being taken from their homes, he said: “It’s terrifying that the police would force you out.
“It’s anything above 38C. They come in with one of those laser thermometers.
“Even if you’re only suspected, you’re definitely going to get Coronavirus by the end of it.
“There’s that fear. It’s ridiculous because they don’t have the kits for it.
“It’s flu and cold season so a lot of people have the sniffles. It’s going to be hard with families, of course. Especially if you’re a couple for 30 or 40 years and your husband or wife is being taken.
“I certainly was worried it would happen to me yesterday, when I first saw this on the news.”
Mr Duplessis, from Ontario, has lived inwuhan for three years with his Chinese-indonesian wife Emilytjandra and their 15-year-old son Wyatt. The family has refused to leave Wuhan. Mr Duplessis said that the Canadian authorities would evacuate only him, while Indonesian authorities separate parents and children who have arrived from China.
He confirmed that the last of the major supermarkets were being closed in the city and he feared having to rely on the authorities for food deliveries.