As Covid-19 cases skyrocket in the UK, an increasing number of public health experts are calling for an enforced lockdown to be brought in
Should it occur, the UK would follow in the footsteps of Spain, Italy and China; nations who have experienced the highest number of recorded cases and fatalities.
But what is like to live under lockdown? I spoke to a Welsh man living in China who has been under lockdown since the initial outbreak of Coronavirus – for almost three months.
Here’s what he had to say:
"You saw buses going around and no one was on them. It was quite eerie."
This Welsh man has been on lockdown in China for two months. This is his advice for people back in the UK. pic.twitter.com/cTZlrUHLEn
— JOE (@JOE_co_uk) March 23, 2020
Stephen resides in Hefei province, the second most-affected area in China after Wuhan.
He says that the number of Covid-19 cases crept up out of nowhere and grew exponentially.
“Suddenly there was five people with the disease, and then suddenly there were 70 people. Then, suddenly, the day after that there was a thousand people.”
Life under lockdown
Chinese authorities acted swiftly, and their measures were enforced without delay.
“Everywhere you go, you get your temperature checked, you have to wear a face mask, sign everything and you have to sign in and out to make sure where you are.”
China has also embraced technology in its fight against Covid-19. Stephen says there is an app, available through social media platform WeChat, which allows users to locate cases of Coronavirus in their locality.
The more recent cases are marked red, signifying the biggest risk. Cases between two and four weeks are marked yellow, and those beyond a month are marked green. This signifies the lowest risk.
Public transport also ground to a halt almost immediately after the outbreak started.
Stephen says, “It was quite eerie sometimes because you just saw buses going around with no one on them.”
The cities themselves have been left ghost towns, too. “I remember one night I walked about five kilometres and I saw two people – in a city of ten million people.”
When asked what his advice for UK residents would be, the English teacher was clear.
“My advice would be, not just worry about yourself in case you have it, worry about the other people you could infect. Just make sure you wash your hands, if you have a mask wear it at all times and just make sure you limit contact with people.”
