INDIANS IN WUHAN SHARE EXPERIENCE & MEASURES TAKEN DURING CORONAVIRUS CRISIS

China's Wuhan city is known to be the epicenter of the novel coronavirus pandemic that spread all across the world killing more than 80,000 people. Days after the virus which spread all over Wuhan, claiming more than 3000 lives, the city was under complete lockdown for nearly 76 days. 

While India was making their rescue efforts for Indians in China, few daring Indians, remained in Wuhan. They have shared few of their measures that helped them to cope in bad and difficult times.

While speaking to news agency PTI, Arunjith T Sathrajith, a hydrobiolgist working in Wuhan said, "for over 73 days, I stayed put in my room, stepped out to my lab close by with permission. Today I struggle to speak properly because I have not spoken much all these weeks as there is no one to speak because everyone stayed indoors."

Arunjith, from Kerala, decided to stay in Wuhan because he felt that escaping was not the best thing do. Further talking about the lockdown in India, Arunjith said "India had done the right thing to go for a nationwide lockdown, but the major problem for the country could surface when the monsoon season arises as people's immunity levels go down. That is the time virus could turn virulent," Arunjith said.

"If there is any lesson Wuhan offers, it is the strict lockdown and people's participation in self-isolation campaign," he added.

Another Indian scientist who stayed back in Wuhan and preferred to remain anonymous, told PTI on a telephonic interview that, "For about 72 days I have shut myself in my room. My neighbour has three very young children. I have not seen them coming out of their flat even once. Today I am happy and relieved I survived but still not willing to venture out because I could run into virus carriers."

He also advised Indians to strictly follow the lockdown. He also did not want to leave the country as he was concerned about his family back home.

During their conversation, both the scientists agreed that it is very difficult for detecting the virus and curbing it, "It is not easy to understand this virus. And it is not going to be easy to understand it until they trace the zero case which is extremely difficult. Chinese took time to act because they had no idea about it early and when they learnt about it, they acted swiftly," the scientist said.

Meanwhile, Arunjith, who used to travel in China in rural areas because of his research, said he suspects that the virus was passed from animal to human. 

Looking at the death count due to the coronavirus in China, it has risen to 3,335 and reached 81,865 in the country. While globally, more than 88,500 have died and nearly 1.5 million cases of COVID-19 infections have been reported.