COVID-19 Diaries: The Situation In Beijing, 133 Days In

When the novel coronavirus outbreak in China first began, we interviewed Thomas who had been put under lockdown in Beijing and found him to be calm. Now that almost 2 months have passed and the numbers of reported COVID-19 cases in China appear to be falling, we had another chat with him, hoping for light at the end of the tunnel, but were surprised to find him a tad less calm than before. 

Q: Hi Thomas, welcome back! What’s happened since the last time we spoke? Are you still in Beijing and have you been well? 

A: Hi Sara, it’s good to be back! The couple of months since we spoke have been sort of a blur, which is to be expected if you’re spending most of the time inside, with no real schedule. I am still in Beijing, and have been physically well, but have admittedly started to go a bit loopy.

What restrictions presently remain in Beijing and which have been lifted? Have you yourself gone back to work in person yet? Sat down for a meal in a restaurant?

Beijing is seeming to relax, partly because of the weather. Some people are back to work, but the universities remain closed. Places like malls are a bit more lively than they had been. At their worst, public spaces were really ghost towns. Restaurants are now back open for dine-in—but customers are still pretty thin on the ground. Places like McDonalds are doing huge takeaway business.

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What are the numbers of COVID-19 infected, recovered and demised in Beijing right now? What about in China as a whole?

I do hear about new cases in Beijing, but my impression is that these are primarily people who have come back to China from outside. 

How accurate do you think those numbers are? And do you think this means the COVID-19 crisis in China is getting close to being over?

I can’t comment on the accuracy of the numbers, but COVID-19 is certainly, definitely not over in China, not even close. This is a virus that spreads exponentially among asymptomatic carriers—so it remains as insidious as ever. 

When did the coronavirus situation in China first start getting better? In hindsight, what were the signs that suggested the epidemic was beginning to end?

Until there is a cure and/or a vaccine, getting better will consist only of managing the spread. While people have certainly gotten better about washing hands and other hygienic measures, progress can only be temporary. People are certainly relaxing, but the fact is that another outbreak could occur at any time.

Now that the rest of the world is just as affected by the coronavirus as China had been, how do you think China’s response to the virus compares to that of most other countries? 

Again, I can only comment on what I have seen publicly, but there’s no question that China took this very seriously, and coordinated its response at a central level. Given that China was the first to deal with the outbreak, it’s inevitable that mistakes would be made, but on the whole, the response has been remarkably well coordinated. The ability to keep consumer goods in stock remains a testament to the miracle of modern logistics. The switch to online learning has gone without a hitch, which again is pretty remarkable considering the sheer numbers of people involved. 

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You’re from the US so what are your thoughts on the situation there now that they are presently the country most affected by COVID-19, with more than 3x as many cases of infection compared to China? How do you think they ended up with so many more infections and what do you think they can do to get the number of infections down?

Well to be fair, it is hard to compare data from different countries, since there is no standard for reporting criteria. But that said, the US federal response has by any measure been an absolute clown show, with neither moral nor operational leadership coming from the White House. I am not a particular fan of our current president, but even by the low standards of the past three years, the response of this government has been abysmal. On the other hand, states have shown real leadership. Governors of California, New York, Ohio, Maryland, Michigan and Washington have been standouts. The lineup of people prepared to return the US to a state of competent governance is growing longer and more coordinated. As a historian, I can only hope that this moment represents the low point of a longer cycle in US politics.

What advice do you have for the people all around the world who are presently still stuck in their homes because of lockdown measures, with no end to the COVID-19 pandemic in their countries in sight?

My advice is to embrace the slow erosion of your sanity. It’s gonna happen, so just belt up and enjoy the ride. 

Lastly, what else have you learned in the time since we last spoke that you didn’t know before?

Oh all kinds of things. I have learned that you really want to brush your teeth before putting on a face mask, and that going running with a mask on is a great way to make yourself pass out. I have learned that animals are pretty quick to fill up spaces that humans have vacated, and that stray dogs lead surprisingly rich and fulfilling lives. 

I have been learning to make better use of the Internet for my teaching. My class on food studies is still on, but we have adapted our assignments so that students trapped at home can interview their relatives, and conduct ethnographies of e-commerce sites like Taobao. 

I have also been listening to a lot of podcasts, and even doing a few of my own. This is truly a golden age for sitting around and yapping into a microphone.

Thomas is a historian of modern China who presently just hopes to be able to get back to his work on China’s food eventually. You can read more about him and his work at thomasdaviddubois.com and bnu.academia.edu/ThomasDavidDuBois or ask him about China’s anything using the comment box below. 

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If you’re in a country that has 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 Thomas. Interviewer: Sy
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