COVID-19 Diaries: The Situation in Shanghai, 68 days in

Greg from the USA has been living in China for over 6 years—first Hangzhou, then Guangzhou and now, Shanghai, the most populous city in China. He told us about the situation in Shanghai amid the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan 690km away, and shared what he sees on the news within China that others outside of China might not see.

Q: Hi Greg, thanks for connecting with us all the way from Shanghai! When did you first hear about the 2019-nCoV coronavirus and what did you think of it then? 

A: At this point, I can’t quite remember when I first heard about it. Every day there are articles with updates, so it is hard to keep track. I’m pretty sure it was soon after it started, which would put it sometime between January 12-18.

How concerned are you now? How many people do you personally know who’ve been afflicted with the coronavirus?

I personally don’t know anyone who has been afflicted with the coronavirus. I suppose I’m not too concerned, mainly because I was still finishing my trip abroad when announcements of different quarantining measures were announced. As I was returning, I faced far less in terms of “extra precautions” than I expected.

How many cases are there in Shanghai at the moment of this interview? How concerned is Shanghai at this point?

At the time of filling out these questions (February 7), the official government approved stats say that Shanghai has 269 confirmed cases, 25 recoveries, and 1 death.

Why do you choose to remain in Shanghai regardless?

I really didn’t choose to remain in Shanghai, my school repeatedly told us that if it’s at all possible to return then we should make every attempt to do so. Since I didn’t encounter any hiccups on my return flight to Shanghai (I expected there to be at least a delay if not a cancellation since a number of other coworkers noted that their flights had been delayed and cancelled), there was no reason not to return.

Is there anything you know about the situation within China or in Shanghai that has not been mentioned, or has been misrepresented, by news agencies outside of China?

Now that is quite difficult to answer. As I wrote about in my recent blog post about this, I mentioned how the news coverage inside and outside of China are quite different and the only numbers that everyone is looking at are the numbers released by the Chinese government. Whatever we “know” is whatever we read about in articles posted on WeChat (the biggest social media app in China).

What I can say is that inside China, what we are presented with is how fast and efficient the government has been at putting quarantine measures into place and how fast they were able to build the temporary quarantine facility in Wuhan (people refer to it as a hospital but it’s definitely not a standard hospital, it’s more like a holding facility). The phrase that keeps appearing is “no other country could do this but China.” People have also posted videos created showing the strength and tenacity of the Chinese people in dealing with this, as well as photos and videos showing how people have dealt with being stuck at home and even showcasing their resourcefulness in dealing with the face mask shortage. As for the expat community, many are hopeful and think that the media is over-hyping the seriousness of the situation, although there are still some who are more cautious about this.

Outside of China, we see stories that also focus on the swiftness of the temporary holding facility in Wuhan, specifically news about the WHO praising China for it’s efforts. However, there are certainly more stories focusing on the “human rights” aspect of the situation, such as the initial mishandling of the whole outbreak and of the doctor (along with the other doctors in their WeChat group) who was arrested, detained, and forced to sign a confession of “spreading false rumours” and just recently died of the virus after treating others, along with cases of people being forcibly quarantined in their apartments or forcibly removed from their homes and taken elsewhere. There is also more doubt as to the accuracy of the Chinese government’s outbreak statistics.

Is there anything you know about the coronavirus that has not been mentioned in global news?

Again, that is difficult to say. There are so many constant posts and updates, it’s hard to keep track of it all. I read in an article from the website of Dr. Mercola about the bio-security level 4 lab in Wuhan that was created in 2018 and that it is located about 20miles from the wet market that is believed to be the epicentre of the outbreak. It goes on to suggest that possibly lower standards of safety and security protocol could have contributed to this outbreak, too. To my knowledge, I haven’t seen this discussed anywhere else inside or outside of China. It also seems like the situation in Wuhan is even worse than Chinese media is letting on.

What is the status of food, water and medical supplies like masks in stores in Shanghai right now? And how long do you think you can last with the stock you have at home at the moment?

Food and water supplies seem to be relatively normal. I haven’t gone shopping at the local supermarket yet but coworkers who have have posted photos of their carts and didn’t mention anything about being low on items. Because it’s possible to do all of your grocery shopping online in Shanghai, I just do it that way. Those online stores I use have been low or out of stock on numerous meat and dairy items, but they expect to restock their inventory soon. So far I’ve had 3 grocery deliveries, so I’m still able to get most of the items I need.

As for masks, those seem to be very difficult to find. Not only have they sold out in pharmacies all across China, but even in other countries. Even Amazon.com reportedly sold out of them. This has resulted in people trying to obtain whatever other masks they can, mostly surgical masks that fit loosely around the ears and don’t seal tightly around the mouth and nose. The only other concern I’ve heard from some people are those with prescriptions that aren’t sure now how to get them refilled with all the quarantine measures in place.

Do you still go out? If so, what precautions do you take when, and before and after, going out?

I have only gone out once this week since I got back. I haven’t tried taking subway yet. At this point, it has become a requirement to wear your mask when out in public, regardless of where you go, but this is especially true for public transport. As of now, you won’t be allowed onto the subway if you are not wearing a mask. Food delivery drivers are no longer allowed inside of apartment complexes, although the other day it looked like mailed items were starting to be allowed back into the mail storage area. Everyone is also being told to wash their hands frequently, and even to wipe down any packages that you bring into your home. Also, whenever you enter your apartment complex the guards will take your temperature first.

When will you return to work? And what’s the plan in Shanghai for people who need a form of income to survive yet cannot go back to work?

My school was supposed to start again in February 3, but the weekend before I returned we were told that many schools in Shanghai would be delayed by 2 weeks. As a result, our school’s IT team helped to create an online file-sharing drive for teachers to upload materials and videos to assign to the students. I imagine that other schools will probably follow something similar to this. Later this week though, they updated us to say that now many schools will not start before March.

At my school we were paid on time but I don’t know about the other schools. It seems like it’s the training schools that are not in service, and one person I know who works at one says they have not been paid yet and is unsure what the pay situation will be. The only other thing I can think of that some might resort to if needed is to try to do some online tutoring.

What will you do if you develop the symptoms of the virus? What do the officials in Shanghai recommend you do?

Knock on wood that I don’t develop any symptoms, but if I do then I will need to notify my school immediately and then check into one of the recommended hospitals they told us about. Of course, I would notify my family back home immediately and give them the contact information of whichever hospital I would be at.

What will you do if the coronavirus situation in Shanghai takes a turn for the worse?

As of right now, it doesn’t seem like things will deteriorate since a lot of people seem to be disciplined in complying with their self-quarantine. I’m really not sure what I/we will do if things were to get worse, though. I think the food and water supply would dictate what people end up doing. I’m not sure if people would be able to leave the city easily if things got worse, so I think people would try to stock up as best they could and just wait to see how things go. 

Which 3 items or people are most useful for you right now? 

1–Masks (which are required but also in short supply).  2–Food/water/toiletries.  3–forms of entertainment (movies, games, cards, etc).

Lastly, what have you learned from this coronavirus outbreak that you didn’t know before?

I now better understand the importance of saving face here and the lengths that authorities will go to in order to save face. I also learned how tenacious the Chinese are when dealing with restrictions on travel and movement around town.

Greg is presently still uncertain about when he will be able to continue travelling around China like he planned to. In the meantime, you can read and see photographs about his previous travels and living experience around China and Asia at www.globejournal2.com or ask him questions about the coronavirus situation in Shanghai using the comment box below.

Next up is a young expat from the UK living in the Shunde District in the Guangdong province of China. Follow the latest in our 2019-nCoV Diaries series here.

If you’re in China right now or have been affected by the novel coronavirus and would like to share information about the situation where you’re at, do get in touch with us here.

Photographs courtesy and copyright of Greg. Interviewer: Sy
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