What It’s Like Being Locked Down In Wuhan During The 2019-2020 Novel Coronavirus Outbreak (Part 1)

Icypriest, who prefers to be known only by his online handle, is a 30-year-old Wuhan resident and postgraduate student at a university in Wuhan. He is presently in lockdown in his home together with his parents, aged 63 and 59, and is only allowed to go out once every 5 days. We found our way past quarantine restrictions, oceans, military blockades, walls and viral risks to ask him what being quarantined in the epicentre of a global viral outbreak is really like.

Q: Hi Icypriest, thanks for connecting with us all the way from Wuhan. When did you first hear about the coronavirus and what did you think of it then?

A: I heard about it in early December. I sensed the situation could be serious, so I told my parents to consider it as a “potentially cautious event”. We didn’t think of it as a serious event back then.

When did you start becoming more concerned about the virus? What triggered that?

I saw the official announcement by the Wuhan government that 27 people were infected. Then I became more aware of the virus.

How did you find out that Wuhan was going to be locked down and quarantined? What were you doing before that and what did you do right after that?

The lockdown was announced by the government several days before so we had time for preparation. We had already stocked enough food for the Chinese New Year [CNY] since most businesses were closing down during those weeks, so we just bought some face masks for potential outdoor needs. After the lockdown, we didn’t change much in our lives except to keep exercising indoors since we have a treadmill in our home.

How did you feel about no longer being able to leave?

It doesn’t feel mandatory since most traditions during CNY are home-based except for visiting relatives, but we cancelled that because of the virus. We understand it’s a special occasion which won’t stop us from all indoor activities.

How long have you and your family been in lockdown thus far? What is daily life for your family like?

We have been staying home for 12 days. Since we limited our outdoor activities to none, we stay in bed every day until 10 and reduce the daily 3 meals to 2: one at about 11am and one at 5pm. We go to bed at about 12. The only differences between lockdown life and our previous CNY lives is: 3 of us are exercising daily on the treadmill, and we check the news about the virus frequently. Nothing else has changed much.

How do you get food, water and medical supplies right now? And how long do you think you can last with the stock you have at home at the moment?

We stocked masks in advance and cancelled our family trip during CNY. As we have the tradition of stocking food during CNY, we didn’t make extra preparations food-wise. Our stock can still last for about 2 weeks.

What will you do if your supplies run out?

The lockdown now is not a strict one—we can go out for emergencies and supplies, provided body temperatures are taken before going out.

Are emergency services (police, fire and ambulances) still in operation? What would you do in the case of an emergency right now?

All of the emergency services are still in operation. As almost everybody is in lockdown, I guess that police stations are not that much in need now. But if there’s an emergency, especially health-wise, there’s an appointed taxi to every xiaoqu(小区) [land plot] in Wuhan for that.

I’ve read that residents in Wuhan have been ordered not to leave their homes. Do you know what might happen if someone did leave their home?

As far as I know, all the quarantine protocols in Wuhan are not strict. But most people are aware of the situation and they are not intentionally challenging the law system.

How afraid are you and your family of the 2019-nCoV? How many people do you personally know who’ve been afflicted with the coronavirus?

We are more tense than afraid. I’m a little worried about the mental state of my parents but they clarified that they are not afraid or worried now. I don’t know anyone infected with the virus but I have an aunt, a friend’s mother and a friend working as nurses in different hospitals. They report daily on the situation and we’re informed about the virus and themselves.

What would you and your family do if one of you did develop the symptoms of the 2019-nCoV coronavirus?

If one of us have the symptoms we would voluntarily report to the community health centre. Since the big hospitals are stacked, the government has divided the responsibility to various communities. If they think it’s nCoV then we will be sent to designated hospitals.

When do you think you and your family will be returning to work and school? Which month will that be?

In my own optimistic view, I think things will start turning back to normal by 3-6 weeks. Traditional work and school days after CNY began a week before.

How are people in Wuhan and Hubei planning to get by without going out onto the streets to work? 手停口停的人怎么办 aka what would those with financial constraints do for income?

This is what I mainly worry about. People may be laid off if businesses go months without income, and all of them still have bills to pay. But I learned from the news that several cities are reducing taxes and rents to ease the burdens of people. I haven’t heard of similar news in Wuhan but I hope it would come soon.

Which 3 items are most useful for you right now?

Since we’re unable to go outside, my laptop is the most important thing in the world—it provides Internet, a work environment, most entertainment, news sources and communication. Headphones—because music is one of my main hobbies and it can be simultaneously enjoyed when I’m on the treadmill. The third is hand sanitiser—mostly not for hygiene but for easing our inner tension.

Lastly, is there anything you regret not doing earlier?

I regret not meeting all my friends for my birthday—I miss them. As my birthday is always during Chinese New Year, it was a great opportunity for me to meet many of them at once. But this year I hesitated and postponed my party plans.

Icypriest is presently still on lockdown inside his home but will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have for him if you leave them in the comment box below.

Next week, we ask him more about his feelings surrounding the racism that has appeared in the wake of the coronavirus, what he thinks of being barred from entry by numerous countries including Singapore, and what readers can do to help him and the rest of China get through this crisis. Stay tuned.

More 2019-nCoV Diaries available here.

Other interviews with Icypriest:
What It’s Like Being Locked Down In Wuhan During The 2019-2020 Novel Coronavirus Outbreak (Part 2)

Photographs courtesy and copyright of Icypriest. Interviewer: Sy
Sponsor or support the 2019-nCov Diaries series here.
If you found this article useful: