Ordinary people remain upbeat despite long 'stay at home' periods

Chinese people around the country are taking a positive attitude to having to stay at home for long periods during the coronavirus outbreak.

In a recent interview to mobilize society to battle against the epidemic, Zhang Wenhong, director of the Department of Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital Affiliated to the Fudan University in Shanghai, said, "Everyone is a soldier. You're not just quarantining yourself at home, but combating the virus."

Others are making the most of their time, with some seeking to better themselves by gaining new skill sets, such as 25-year-old Jia Yi, who works for an internet company in Beijing.

While working from home, Jia has read four books, and does physical exercise every day. In addition, she also learned video and picture editing through online courses, saying these skills might be helpful in future work.

"Though the epidemic has caused inconveniences, my work has not been greatly impacted," said Jia, who has helped her company launch six online events.

Some are kept going through a sense of duty, as the epidemic affects the lives of millions of Chinese citizens. A woman surnamed Wang from the outbreak epicenter Wuhan had to be separated from her husband due to travel restrictions.

Wang, who works for a state-owned enterprise in the city, lives at her parents' house with her daughter in Wuchang, a district in southern Wuhan, while her husband takes care of her parents-in-law in Hankou, another district of the city.

"We canceled our family reunion for the Chinese New Year, as that's what the country called on us to do, and besides, we both have to take care of our parents in these two districts. Now we talk to each other through video calls every day," Wang said.

Wang says that going out to fetch the daily necessities she has ordered online is like going through a battlefield. She has to put on a coat and shoes that she uses exclusively for these "missions", as well as two masks, a pair of goggles and a shower cap.

"Nobody wants to be like this, but this is not a big deal as we have to protect ourselves and our family," said Wang, who was inspired by the rapid construction of makeshift Huoshenshan and Leishenshan hospitals. Although more and more patients are being discharged from hospitals, she said that they will continue to protect themselves and wait at home for the final victory over the virus, and for her family to meet again.

Wang Liangliang, a teacher at an online education institution, started offering online courses from Feb 3, days after the outbreak of the epidemic.

"I have to work harder during the epidemic to show the attraction of mathematics to the students who have to study from home," said Wang, adding that there has been an obvious increase in the number of students taking live online courses compared to previous years.

According to Wang's company, over a million students from across the country took Wang's online math courses between Feb 3 and 10.

"This is my job. I think teachers and doctors both do honourable jobs, but this time, the epidemic further increased my admiration for the doctors fighting the virus on the frontline," he said.

In this silent "war", millions of ordinary citizens are confining themselves to their homes in a bid to contain the virus. They are doing so in the same spirit as the doctors battling the virus at the front line. They firmly believe that Wuhan, and China, will eventually win.