Freedom!

By Katy

So I am officially free now. I haven’t actually been outside yet (it’s 3AM here and we were only supposed to leave the apartment from midnight) but am very much looking forward to my run in the morning. Tom on the other hand set an alarm so he could go outside. As an introvert I’ve always been happier to spend more time inside than Tom has. He was happy to discover that his bike was still there, if in much need of a charge and that not many people were wearing masks anymore. Both of us have found the mask thing concerning for two reasons.

One: a number of doctors suggest that their use is either for if you are sick or if you know you will be in contact with someone else who is sick. They are not thought to offer a lot of protection in everyday life as generally people do not wear them correctly. For example, if you wear a mask at an airport you will be asked to lower your mask multiple times and there is a chance you will touch your face more both because of this and because masks are inherently uncomfortable. Most people we saw wearing masks while traveling in Asia would have got little to no protection from them.

Two: getting Hector to wear a mask is a ‘challenge’ to put it politely. Although we were only asked to put one on him once on the way home we have been concerned about our ability to use Didis (China’s Uber) because of this.

This is what WHO have to say on the subject:

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public/when-and-how-to-use-masks

I have been surprised at some of the benefits of quarantine. One has been reconnecting with my family. I’ve always spoken to my parents reasonably often, sometimes once a week if we’re not out doing something on the weekend. However now I’m speaking to them several times a week. I had also rather fallen out of touch with my sister and brother since moving to China so one of my favorite things about Quarantine has been actually talking more frequently with my family. This was the last time we were all together:

Tom and I hope that we can come back over Christmas. But there’s so much uncertainty still. When the outbreak first started my parents had booked their flight perhaps only a few weeks before. As it had not spread to the UK at the time Tom and I felt confident that things would be resolved in China by July, when they were supposed to arrive. Given the scale of the virus it seems clear now that this is not going to happen. Hopefully Virgin will also soon realise this and do right by their customers! Although it has apparently not been widely reported in the UK currently foreign nationals are not allowed to enter China.

The virus is pretty much over here. This does not stop China doing things with an abundance of caution. We still need a health code to move freely. I know that this may offend Western sensibilities but honestly it makes me feel safer to know that people’s health is still being monitored. Not that this is foolproof. There are many systems in place but they don’t always seem to communicate with each other. For example, we have had a green healthcode for the entire 14 days we have been in quarantine. So on the one hand we have the code required to move freely around the city but on the other we had to sign an agreement stating that we would abide by the rules of a very strict 14 day quarantine!

Unfortunately with stories about the virus hitting the young as well as the old it is clear it is far from over for our friends and family around the world. We think about you all the time. Although the death toll is still rising in the UK I am reassured that the measures, although too slow to be put in place, seem to be strict enough to combat the virus. I am most concerned for anyone is in the US as Trump seems to be taking things to an all new low by trying to reopen America. Tom, as stated in the previous blog, is never surprised by his actions but I cannot help be appalled knowing how many people will die as a result of his action.

Nevertheless there is hope. Even Wuhan is stopping it’s lockdown soon. Both China and South Korea have shown that this can be beaten with the right measures. So stay strong and stay home!