Fears of a global coronavirus pandemic is growing. The United Kingdom has reported four further cases bringing their total to 13 and Italy’s tally went up to 200 with four deaths forcing Italian authorities to shut down schools, universities, museums and cinemas, and banning all public events. Fears of a global pandemic have sunk global stock markets, while the price of gold, which is regarded as a safe-haven, has reached the highest level since February 2013. But in China it seems that the tide is turning, that things are starting to get back to normal as the lockdown is being lifted in some cities. The two Durban schoolteachers, Andy and Gary Cronje who live in Hangzhou and described their city as a ‘Zombie Apocalypse’ to Biznews at the beginning of the month, but things are starting to turn as deliveries arrive from the outside, and children have been given the “green code” and are playing outside again. In the interview, the Cronje’s mention hearing about a suspected case in eSwatini, which would have been the first in Sub Saharan Africa; fortunately multiple tests on the person involved were negative. – Linda van Tilburg
Andy and Gary Cronje say that since yesterday there has been a hive of activity in Hangzhou. There is more traffic on the roads and lorries are queuing with deliveries, and the shops that they have visited were filled with boxes with fresh stock. Although there was a steady supply of fresh produce through the lockdown of their city; they have noticed that more of the luxury items and imported stuff was available in shops again. Andy was particularly happy to see that Coca Cola was available again.
___STEADY_PAYWALL___
Last Friday, it was announced that citizens could use public transport again, and trains and buses could be accessed if citizens produced a ‘green code’. This is done through one of the popular payment apps available in China, such as Alipay and WeChat. Andy said that China is a cashless society’; she did not even know where her wallet was. Everything is done on the phone and applications for a ‘green code’ are processed through the apps after they have answered questions about where they have been, whether they are well and what their temperatures are, and based on that they could receive a ‘green code’.
The Cronje’s were therefore able to take a train and go to a German-owned supermarket further away this weekend, where they could stock up on the brands they liked. The technology has given the Chinese authority the ability to ensure that those who are infected, or are suspected of being infectious are banned from public places. The Cronje’s said until citizens were given a ‘green code’ they were not even able to go into their own apartment buildings. When they first generated a green code, they were also vetted further by their governing body to make sure that it was legitimate. They said, if people fell ill with the coronavirus and they lied about their condition, there would be ramifications.
Andy said reports from Shanghai were that the city was still very quiet and Shenzhen, another big city in China reported the same. She knew people in South Korea and people there were ‘in an absolute state’ about coronavirus and it looked as if the country and especially the capital, Seoul, might be going into lockdown as well. While Andy, who has been teaching students online and has not been as affected that much by the lockdown in Hangzhou, her husband Gary said he had not resumed work, although his agent said they could hopefully resume classes at schools in March. The university was also offering online courses now. In China, there is “a massive online teaching industry whether it is Maths, English, Science or History. Most Chinese kids are being taught online with local teachers resuming lessons and foreign teachers would again take over from the first of March.”
Most schools have their own online platforms and use is also being made of free platforms such as Skype and its local Chinese equivalent, as well as Zoom. Teachers communicate with parents and give them the class times. The Cronje’s children who are home-schooled have been playing “downstairs for the first time, something which they were not allowed to do before as there were worries that the coronavirus is airborne.”
The family says the army has moved in with tents outside the building where they live and there are points men on duty. If a citizen has a higher temperature, they would be escorted to an army tent and from there to a medical facility. Andy related how the authorities would take an ‘uncomfortable’ swab in the back of your throat and said they would also take a CT scan, which is much cheaper in China. Friends of theirs who were doctors reported working between 24 and 48 hour shifts and “they say it is crazy. It is unbelievable because people are now in panic mode when they come to the hospital. Everyone is panicking”. The couple said they did not know anybody who has contracted the disease or has died from it.
The Cronje’s said Chinese citizens were co-operating fully in an effort to quarantine the coronavirus. People are wearing masks; they are washing their hands and they are staying inside. “They give you a perimeter; they give you personal space. At the malls, customers’ hands are sprayed for the trolleys; they check your temperature and your code before you enter.” The controls are strict, and signs have been put up that ‘no spitting is allowed.’ Public places have been cleaned with high pressure hoses and the cities have been fumigated in “every nook and cranny… they even go into the basements and blast everything.”
The Chinese authorities have taken many countermeasures and Gary says he takes his hat off to them as they have 1.3 billion people staying close to each other and spent a lot of money for all the special equipment and measures involved to contain the virus. “But they say they want to do it and they want to stop it.” Asked whether they thought South Africa could handle a pandemic on this scale, they said they knew that healthcare in South Africa was skewed between the wealthy people and ‘not so affluent people’ which was quite a problem. Andy said she did not think public healthcare in South Africa would be able to cope as well as the Chinese did. Entire cities have been closed down, which would be very difficult in South Africa.
Gary said that China’s GDP has fallen dramatically because of the coronavirus but is expected to rebound within a month. What China does not have, is worker’s rights with many of the schools threatening to short-pay everyone and people are seeking legal advice with “groups on WeChat and the foreigners are having an absolute fit.” Most of the foreigners have contracts and the Chinese are telling the foreigners that a living allowance would be paid and ‘good luck.’ Many of the smaller English training centres had to be closed down due to the coronavirus. Parents are ruthless in China, they said. If there are no lessons, the teachers do not get paid.
