From SARS to COVID-19: A personal journey

By mid-January there was growing concern that what initially even I had thought was a local problem in Wuhan was looking much more serious.

On January 19, I was heading south by hired car from Beijing with my family to Tianjin. Looking forward to staying over the Chinese New Year there were no reports there of any virus issues. However, I felt a sense of caution or was it possibly paranoia when the driver coughed! A smoker’s cough?

Both Tianjin and my hotel, the Shangri-La, were looking toward the festive period. Seagulls had seasonally migrated back to the nearby Haihe River where I was photographing “ice-fishermen” on its frozen waters. January 22, three days before the Lunar New Year, everything changed. Wuhan and parts of Hubei were going into lockdown, personal movement tightly controlled. Most of China experienced variable measures of “shutdown” with restrictions on movement and public transport continuing. The expected rush of visitors to Tianjin did not materialize though there was no sense of panic or bulk buying. Some gathering places were closed, including a festive outdoor food street, cafes and restaurants. Roads were quiet but that would be normal for the holiday period. However, almost everyone wore a mask. The hotel issued them to all guests.

I was receiving emails if I would leave and return to the UK? After 33 years involvement here I was staying! However, I was becoming noticeably careful about personal behavior. Since 2003 I was carrying hand disinfectant tissues, I started putting images of them and other advice onto popular WeChat platform. Wearing a mask was my “new normal”.

The hotel with their excellent hygiene policies helped maintain calmness even when the first cases were reported in Tianjin. Temperature checks began to be taken twice daily.

Checking and testing were at the forefront of defense nationwide. Immediate reporting of any abnormal readings followed by tests to identify if there was infection. Contacts tracked down, tested and if necessary quarantined. While maintaining some lessons from 2003 China also went on to develop sophisticated high-tech data analysis. An invaluable “weapon” where an entire population carries smartphones!

Some mornings I would walk down to the river, often alone apart from the seagulls. I would contemplate the scenario playing out, how would Tianjin, for example, appear when normality returned? From the hotel I looked from my room over the city. Each evening tall buildings carried messages of support for Wuhan, often relayed through posts on social media. It was a time of coming together through Jiayou or ‘Be strong!’.

There was no sensationalism in domestic media as it reported new infections and sadly, fatalities. Television hosts wore mask as did everyone on the screen, symbolizing their utilization. Media constructively dismissed any rumors as fake news could easily have spread panic. Instead, personal hygiene was emphasized.