Beijing's normally bustling streets
are eerily quiet
"Where can I buy bleach?"
one expat Beijing resident asked in a community WeChat group. Her local shop
had sold out of strong cleaning agents.
"Don't buy masks online off people you don’t know," a local Beijinger warned in another Chinese-language chat group. "My friend was cheated out of a lot of money," she added.
As the number of cases of novel coronavirus steadily rises and Beijing residents remain confined to their homes, messaging apps have become a lifeline for the anxious and the bored.
Expat residents started a group to share tips on staying "safe and sane" in Beijing. It reached capacity - 500 members - within minutes.
For those with small children, entertaining them indoors has become a challenge for many families here.
Imaginative parents improvised hopscotch courts marked out with masking tape on living room floors and posted guides on indoor crafts and games.
Others have been sharing tai-chi exercise routines to practice indoors.
The streets of Beijing are eerily quiet. It's typical for the capital to be quieter during Chinese New Year, as the millions of migrant workers return home to the provinces to celebrate with their families. But by this stage after the holiday, the city would normally be springing back to life.
Not this year.
There can be no outings to restaurants, shopping malls, playgrounds, activity centres - most of which have closed until further notice. Office workers have been told to stay at home. Many factories remain shuttered. Home delivery services have been sharply reduced.
Beijing schools were due to resume on 3 February but classes have been
suspended until 17 February, at the earliest. The municipal education authority
issued an advisory to schools to tell their students to stay at home and not
mix with others, until further notice.
"Don't buy masks online off people you don’t know," a local Beijinger warned in another Chinese-language chat group. "My friend was cheated out of a lot of money," she added.
As the number of cases of novel coronavirus steadily rises and Beijing residents remain confined to their homes, messaging apps have become a lifeline for the anxious and the bored.
Expat residents started a group to share tips on staying "safe and sane" in Beijing. It reached capacity - 500 members - within minutes.
For those with small children, entertaining them indoors has become a challenge for many families here.
Imaginative parents improvised hopscotch courts marked out with masking tape on living room floors and posted guides on indoor crafts and games.
Many local residents have tuned into the life-stream of the construction of
Wuhan’s new medical facilities, being built at breakneck speed to accommodate
the sick.
(Link): https://www.rte.ie/news/world/2020/0130/1111857-coronavirus/
The streets of Beijing are eerily quiet. It's typical for the capital to be quieter during Chinese New Year, as the millions of migrant workers return home to the provinces to celebrate with their families. But by this stage after the holiday, the city would normally be springing back to life.
Not this year.
There can be no outings to restaurants, shopping malls, playgrounds, activity centres - most of which have closed until further notice. Office workers have been told to stay at home. Many factories remain shuttered. Home delivery services have been sharply reduced.
The result is effectively quarantine for thousands across the city, and nobody
knows how long it’s going to go on for.
Anyone who does venture out is wearing a mask. Temperature checks have been introduced on Beijing’s subway and at motorway toll booths. Intercity bus lines have been suspended.
As a result of the drastic measures to control the spread of the virus, the risk of infection in Beijing is low. But facing the prospect of weeks, possibly months indoors, many foreign nationals this week decided to get out.
Anyone who does venture out is wearing a mask. Temperature checks have been introduced on Beijing’s subway and at motorway toll booths. Intercity bus lines have been suspended.
As a result of the drastic measures to control the spread of the virus, the risk of infection in Beijing is low. But facing the prospect of weeks, possibly months indoors, many foreign nationals this week decided to get out.
The Irish Embassy in Beijing updated its travel advice on Wednesday, warning
against all but essential travel to China.
"We also advise that if you are thinking of leaving China," the email from Ambassador Eoin O’Leary to all registered Irish citizens read, "it would be better to do so sooner rather than later."
"We are doing this primarily in case there are further restrictions on travel to, from or within China by the Chinese or other authorities," it said.
"I would stress that we are not advising people, who have no plans to leave China, to leave," the email said, "as we and the Embassy and Consulate team plan to remain in China on the basis that the current situation is not of sufficient seriousness to leave."
As airlines, including British Airways, Lufthansa and Air Canada, cancelled scheduled flights to and from China, some scrambled to make alternative bookings to fly home.
"Does anyone know of any airline still flying to anywhere in Europe?" one concerned Irish citizen posted in a chat group.
But others made the decision to stay put.
"I’m staying in Beijing with my family," said Gar Moss a biology teacher from Dublin and father of three-year-old twins.
"We asked, 'why leave?' and all we can come up with was we are only afraid of being bored. We are not afraid for our or our children's safety."
"If there is a big lockdown," he added, "we know Beijing better than any other city and moreover, we could not afford to stay in Dublin or elsewhere for an extended period of time."
But for local Chinese families, escaping the city, is not an option. They have no alternative but to batten down the hatches and wait for the worst to pass.
And as the new coronavirus continues to infect thousands across the country, it could be a long time before life in Beijing gets back to normal.
"We also advise that if you are thinking of leaving China," the email from Ambassador Eoin O’Leary to all registered Irish citizens read, "it would be better to do so sooner rather than later."
"We are doing this primarily in case there are further restrictions on travel to, from or within China by the Chinese or other authorities," it said.
"I would stress that we are not advising people, who have no plans to leave China, to leave," the email said, "as we and the Embassy and Consulate team plan to remain in China on the basis that the current situation is not of sufficient seriousness to leave."
As airlines, including British Airways, Lufthansa and Air Canada, cancelled scheduled flights to and from China, some scrambled to make alternative bookings to fly home.
"Does anyone know of any airline still flying to anywhere in Europe?" one concerned Irish citizen posted in a chat group.
But others made the decision to stay put.
"I’m staying in Beijing with my family," said Gar Moss a biology teacher from Dublin and father of three-year-old twins.
"We asked, 'why leave?' and all we can come up with was we are only afraid of being bored. We are not afraid for our or our children's safety."
"If there is a big lockdown," he added, "we know Beijing better than any other city and moreover, we could not afford to stay in Dublin or elsewhere for an extended period of time."
But for local Chinese families, escaping the city, is not an option. They have no alternative but to batten down the hatches and wait for the worst to pass.
And as the new coronavirus continues to infect thousands across the country, it could be a long time before life in Beijing gets back to normal.
ENDS:
SOURCE: RTE
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