A St. John’s man now living in China says the government and the WHO are doing what they can to contain the outbreak of coronavirus.
Chris Walsh has been living in Xi’an for the last nine months. They are over 700 km away from the city of Wuhan and the centre of the outbreak, but he says you can see the tension everywhere.
Walsh describes a scene that may seem familiar to those in this province who just came through the State of Emergency. He says it’s been scary. They’ve been instructed to stay inside, with the stores and malls shut down for a week now and only essential services, such as pharmacies and gas stations allowed open.
Photo courtesy Chris Walsh
Recently Walsh says he fell sick, with all the symptoms of coronavirus, making him concerned for his family, but fortunately it turned out to just be a stomach bug.
He says the response on the ground has been quick and organized, so he feels the threat is being locally contained.
But Walsh is concerned that as days drag into weeks, people may get complacent. He isn’t sure how long people can stay shuttered in at home, and businesses can only stay closed so long, but if they start going out before the threat is over, the number of infected may rise again.
