How Can China Remedy its Post-Coronavirus Reputation?

I wrote an article that surprisingly got published despite the “sensitive” content it covers

A Day Of Mourning

6 Weeks of Quarantine

It’s officially been 6 weeks since I landed back in Beijing. Since then, I’ve been working from home and adhering to the city’s mandatory self-quarantine measures. Here’s what it’s been like:

• Some days are good and some are bad. Some days I’ll feel full of anxiety and let the existential dread creep in, wondering how I’m going to make it another hour. Other days, the sun is shining, I go out for a run, and I can get through the day with no negative thoughts.

• The lack of socializing is difficult. Yes, my friends are still in Beijing, but with most bars closed and restaurants enforcing the “2 people per table” rule, as well as residential areas not letting in non-residents, it can be challenging to find somewhere to meet up.

• I’ve found that some days, I lose all interest in any form of entertainment. There’s only so many movies or tv shows to watch, sometimes I can’t focus enough to read, and other days I have zero appetite to write. Other days, I find myself caught up in a good book or catching up on movies I haven’t seen.

• Not knowing when things are going to end is the hardest part, especially since I’m preparing to leave China forever on May 4th. At this point, I have nowhere to go because due to the epidemic, many countries in SE Asia have stopped visas on arrival or closed the country entirely. I’m optimistic that over the next 6 weeks, things will improve and countries will start to open back up, but at the rate things are going, I’m not sure how long my optimism will last. Regardless, I will still leave China in May.

• My gym, along with all the other gyms in the capital, has also been closed for 2 months now. Which is super annoying because gyms in Shanghai are open but because it’s the capital and serves as a representation for the rest of the country, Beijing is being super cautious about everything. I hope they open soon — there’s only so far I can get with working out at home. I’ve lost 3 kg since arriving back in Beijing on February 8th.

Beijing Amid The Coronavirus Epidemic

• Gyms and all fitness centers / sports-related venues are all closed until further notice

• Movie theaters, KTVs, and tourism-related areas within the city are all closed until further notice

• Some bars and restaurants are open, and some do get busy since everyone is itching to get out of their house, but many restaurants are only providing take-out

• Temperature checks are everywhere. Every park you go to, restaurant, residential community -- they all take your temperature with a little temp-gun

• Residents have all been issued a flimsy paper "entry-exit" card with your address written on it. To enter the hutongs, you must present this card, verify that you live at the address, get your temp taken, and then you are allowed in. Tables are set up at these street "checkpoints," and two workers stop you before entering

• Packages are still shipping from online sales, but it's taking much longer than usual

• Everyone seems to be in limbo concerning when things will open back up and when people will go back to the office (most people are working from home). We are all waiting for the official "government notice," which will come based on criteria that no one is sure of. Many are guessing that it will require at least two weeks of no new infections before things start opening back up.

• The virus is the main focus of conversation

• EVERYONE is wearing a mask, and many places require them. If I want to go into a 7-11, I need a mask. Taking a taxi, mandatory mask. Picking up my take-out, mask. Oddly enough, despite the ubiquitous necessity, most places seem to be out of masks.

• Couriers and food deliverymen are no longer allowed to go inside buildings and knock on your door. You must go down to the street to pick stuff up

• Restaurants and residential areas have pesticide-like tanks filled with Dettol or other bacteria-killing sprays, and they regularly spray all the tables, stairs, handrails, doors, and floors

• Working from home seems like the ideal time to travel and work abroad, but many countries have a "if you have been in China within the past two weeks, you are not permitted entry" -- so traveling is out of the question

• Pharmacies now require an ID and other information if you buy cold or fever medicine. They also put a table in the entrance, and you cannot go inside; instead, you tell the lady what you want, and she'll get it for you.

Overall, I think the general feeling after three weeks of quarantine is that people are bored, frustrated that there is no definitive "time" to when things will go back to normal, and still a bit anxious about getting infected. Many people wear surgical gloves out in public along with a mask. When will it end? Who knows... Am I, along with most people in the city, ready to return to normal life in the capital? Absolutely

Taobao Delivery Delayed

Got this message when I tried to buy something on Taobao. Wuhan might be on complete lockdown, but Beijing isn’t much better. Gyms are closed, deliveries are on hold, flights in and out of China are hit or miss (most are temporarily suspended until the end the of March or April), only half of the restaurants are open and able to deliver food, and most malls are only open until 6 or 7 pm (with many of the stores inside closed).

Currently working from home until I receive notice that I need to go back to the office, which who knows when that will be. I’d like to go travel and work from home from somewhere else, but I don’t know when I need to be back and not sure if I’d have to do a quarantine upon arrival — which would defeat the point of leaving anyway.

This is not how I thought I’d be spending my final months in China, but then again, it’s a fitting way to end my 7 year relationship with this country.