During the Chinese Spring Festival in 2020, Kunming, like the whole country, is confronted with severe pressure of the epidemic prevention and control since the sudden outbreak of pneumonia epidemic of 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) infection. A prevention and control campaign is mobilized in the city across the board.
How do the foreigners in Kunming respond in this special time? And how are they living? What feelings do they have about the all-out prevention and control in Kunming? Some of them in Kunming are interviewed by journalists and share their own stories.
Matthew is a teacher from New Zealand. “My girlfriend’s hometown is Wuhan. So I may feel more than other foreigners with regard to this novel coronavirus.” Matthew said.
Both Matthew and his girlfriend live in Kunming. They planned to go to Wuhan to see her family before the Chinese Spring Festival. But they had to stay in Kunming since Wuhan had been locked down. In the New Year’s Eve, they told her family to protect themselves and do not go out as they were having a video call. The would-be mother-in-law showed them the dumplings she made to reassure them. “So long as I have things to eat, I will not go out!” she said with a smile in the video call.
“We all have an unprecedented determination to beat the epidemic,” Matthew said, “There are timely supply of vegetables, fruits and meat in the markets around our home. My girlfriend and I stay at home, feeling a great sense of security and no worries at all.”
Ana is also a teacher in Kunming. She comes from Brazil and teaches English. As a person who had been through an epidemic virus event, Ana firstly was not very worried about it since similar things had occurred in her country as well. At present, governments at all levels are very good at prevention and control. She feels very secure.
“Better safe than sorry,” Ana said. It was a holiday before the epidemic outbreak. So she prepared to go around for better understanding of China. Yet Ana had to change her plan as the rapid outbreak of novel coronavirus. She said: “Now all authorities are sparing no efforts in controlling the epidemic. I believe the virus will be under control before long and things will get better as well.”
