Two months ago my boss messaged me warning “there is a virus in Wuhan, don’t go out – but if you do wear a mask”.
Checking on a map I saw Wuhan was 500 miles away.
Not having a mask I ignored her and went about my normal business. I thought she was overreacting.
Initially things seemed normal – shops were open, but I noticed people were all wearing masks.
But within days shops, restaurants and bars began closing.
Only supermarkets, pharmacies, petrol stations and a few grocery stores remained open.
Although I can speak and read a reasonable amount of Mandarin I did not have the skill to understand detailed reports on the virus and I was unable to bypass China’s internet censorship to read Western journalism as everything was blocked. Chinese social media friends became my only source of information. Initially there was anger towards the authorities for their perceived slow reaction.
This story is from the March 30, 2020 edition of Daily Express.
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This story is from the March 30, 2020 edition of Daily Express.
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