Living in an Epidemic - Update

Night scene taken during one of our nightly walks

Much of our lives are spent waiting: waiting for someone to be ready; waiting in line; waiting for the light; waiting for a text; waiting for a break; waiting for Christmas -- well maybe that's a stretch for February. We do spend a lot of time waiting for something to happen, but usually we are able to keep busy and occupy ourselves and the waiting becomes more of an anticipation. Well, the situation we are in right now is not that kind of waiting: It feels as though we are having an extended snow day because of a severe snowstorm but without the snow or the excitement and beauty it brings.

We basically are stuck at home and told not to go out unless we have to. So, we stay at home and try to get out once a day just to get some fresh air and exercise and to help us keep perspective. Nathan and Ruth Green (some friends of ours who are also in China) recently created out a video that captures the situation at home very well.

For the past few weeks we have  received multiple, daily public service texts giving us information on a wide variety of topics such as the proper use of masks, proper personal hygiene, travel restrictions, and the dissemination of information. Here are some samples courtesy of Google Translate.

While most of these are well intentioned, the information is a bit basic and many of the messages repeat the same information. It is good information, though, and very necessary in a society in which  soap is absent from most public restrooms and in which it is common to sneeze openly without covering one's mouth. Some of the messages, however, are a little more serious especially when addressing the spread of rumors.

In addition to receiving text messages, I have been receiving directives from my employer (which is a state college). Here is a paragraph from a letter that are a little less subtle than the above paragraph.

Needless to say (but I will say it anyway) we don't speculate on the accuracy of the reported numbers and situation here. If you are interested in a good site to keep current on the global situation with the coronavirus, check out this one: Coronavirus 2019-nCoV Global Cases by Johns Hopkins CSSE

As far as restrictions go, we are required to wear masks in public anywhere we may encounter crowds (taxis, buses, supermarkets, malls). Just last Sunday we were able to have a small group of friends up to our apartment for some fellowship, but now all apartment communities are closed to visitors. One afternoon when leaving the compound, I witnessed a young man arguing with the gate guards who were refusing to let him into the compound; when I returned 15 minutes later, they were still arguing and a policeman had been called in. We all are feeling the isolation of the restrictions.

We were just given official tickets which we must show along with our passport to re-enter our community if we ever go out. Although we basically have everything we need within our community, there is a psychological need to get out just for sanity. The other day I went to the largest mall in Xiamen, and found the city streets still mostly deserted. The street above is an eight-lane city street that is usually packed with cars, but now is often empty.

The last couple of days, Sandy and Emily have been blessed with getting some fresh produce. We were told about a local strawberry farm, and they went to pick berries which were a wonderful treat. Admittedly, they aren't as good as Oregon strawberries, but they're better than California berries. We celebrated with some shortcake last night, and they made their first batch of jam here in China.


We have also taken some walks at night in a nearby park. Although all the parks are technically closed, the guards let people walk in them as long as the parks don't get crowded. Here are a couple more photos from a recent walk we took.

Through all this, the tenor of the country is one of standing strong and beating this thing. It is common to see expressions of patriotism and strength in WeChat and to see pictures like these. And here is a paragraph from my college expressing similar sentiments.

XMUT students and faculty should strengthen our sense of responsibility towards the urgent prevention and control of epidemic infection, unite to ensure sound self-prevention of infection, and fulfill relevant duties by the university.

Although our situation is good, we do have several expat friends who are facing difficulties because of expiring visas and mandatory quarantines. One family we know went to Hong Kong to change their visas and then essentially got stuck there. Another family has been forced to return because of expiring visas and will face a 14-day quarantine. My colleagues (and the students) have been told not to return to school until the school announces an official start date, which leaves many of them stranded out of country. And I just heard that the closure of Xiamen International Airport is imminent.

Through all this, we are doing well though feeling very isolated, as are most people in our area. There is still no clear direction as to when this will end for us, but for us it is only an inconvenience right now. I am having to prepare some sort of online lessons for my students -- many of whom will also face a quarantine upon their return to school. However, the ones who are truly suffering are those in Wuhan. Please, remember them during this time and ask for a quick containment of this outbreak.