Beijing's subways are usually packed - now the trains are almost empty. In general, public life in China's capital has come to a standstill. However, this does not bring everyone out of calm.
- WHO calls "international emergency" because of coronavirus
- Coronavirus is spreading faster and faster in China
- Public life stands still
Just a few hours after the World Health Organization declared an "international emergency", Cherie Liu is enjoying Friday evening. She is sitting with friends at the noble Italian restaurant in Penkingen's Sanlitun district. Waitresses with black masks on their faces serve red wine and pizza with buffalo mozarella.
“Now people are freaking out and buying face masks and disinfectants without end. A few weeks ago, many didn't even know what ' quarantine ' actually means, ”says the 32-year-old. Most of her friends would go into paranoia and want to keep calm themselves: “Our centralized system is very efficient. The government sends countless doctors to Wuhan and builds two hospitals from scratch. What country other than China can do that in such a short time? ”
The corona virus is spreading ever more rapidly
But despite the government countermeasures, the corona virus is spreading ever more rapidly. As of February 4, 2020, 8:00 a.m., the national authorities have confirmed 20,438 infected and 425 deaths. This means that significantly more people in mainland China have died of the new lung pathogen than they did during the SARS epidemic 17 years ago, which is considered the most serious of its kind.
In a recent study, Chinese researchers have shown that evidence was already available in mid-December 2019 that the pathogens of the lung disease can be transmitted from person to person. At that time, the public had no idea of a possible outbreak. Only in January did hospital employees report on a "mysterious lung disease" on social media. They were arrested for "spreading rumors".
"I am 100 percent certain that the party cadres have kept the negative news about the virus secret because it would have ruined future promotions," said a man in his thirties in Beijing after work. At large, many young Chinese have been critical of the leaden social climate since President Xi Jinping came to power. "People like me, who actually only want the best for our country, ask themselves at some point: Why can't we receive open information on the Internet?"
Corona virus: trains and trucks are disinfected
Finally, on Monday morning, the state information office invited to the press conference. Just a stone's throw from Tiananmen Square, more than 200 journalists with face masks found themselves in a pompous briefing room, marble walls, column columns, stucco. Government officials in ties and suits from six different ministries reported the supply situation in the quarantine areas.
Dozens of Chinese companies were ordered to start production and provide Wuhan with face masks and protective suits despite the New Year holidays. From now on, several agricultural provinces supply the areas with rice and vegetables. Health checks are systematically installed in the public space and all long-distance means of transport in the country are disinfected daily.
At the end of his lecture, each of the ministerial officials made the key statement: "We will ultimately win the fight against the virus". Just how profoundly this struggle is changing everyday Chinese life is demonstrated by a mere glance at the ghostly empty city of Beijing.
Public life has come to a standstill. The companies have released their employees or prescribed home offices. Universities, schools and kindergartens are also closed until further notice. If you want to take the subway, you first get a temperature scanner in the form of a small handgun at your forehead.
Coronavirus: The eyes are protected with glasses
Trains that would normally be bursting at the time of commuting are manned by a handful of people this Monday morning. In addition to the face masks, some also wear sunglasses to protect their eyes from the pathogen. And yet this is not a comparison to the epicenter in Wuhan, in which subways no longer run.
"At the moment we are really a bit nervous," says Timo Balz, who has been living in the metropolis of 11 million for ten years and teaches remote sensing at the university. The 45-year-old was one of the few Germans to choose not to leave the city - also because of his Chinese wife, who might have to stay behind.
On Wednesday, however, the housing administration announced that the virus had also reached its own apartment settlement: four residents were said to have been infected, one had died. "For us, that means staying at home for now and doing without daily walks," says Balz, who has two children: "Soon the blanket will fall on their heads."
Coronavirus: The coronavirus continues to spread. As the death toll continues to rise, Japan is quarantining a cruise ship.
Rubric list picture: © dpa