Update on my wife's family in Hubei
I posted more than a month ago about my wife’s family in Shiyan. The situation remains largely unchanged. The original post is here:
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100212912189
They have not left their apartment in nearly 2 months. Groceries are ordered online and delivered to their door. In the first few weeks, they could walk around their compound but that changed after someone in their compound was diagnosed. They have no idea what happened to him, but they are no longer able to leave their apartment. For the most part, they’re in good spirits.
My brother-in-law traveled a lot for work and he has enjoyed this time with his wife and his 1-year old son. Fortunately, he is employed by his cousin and is still receiving a salary. Their apartment is owned free and clear so financially, they’re in good shape to weather the storm. The biggest concern is my father-in-law who happened to be staying with them when the quarantine started. He’s a very social person and now has a serious case of cabin fever.
As for the situation on the ground in Hubei, information beyond what is controlled by government is hard to come by given the time zone difference. When my wife wakes up in the morning, she sees a lot of different conversations on WeChat, but the links/articles/screenshots/videos/etc have since been removed by the censors. She does have a number of high school friends that are either doctors or nurses who chat in a group. They all volunteered to work in Wuhan early on, but the group is far less active now. It’s hard to say if that’s because they’re in total overwhelm or they’re forbidden from using social media.
What I do know is that in Shiyan, they dedicated one hospital, possibly two, to exclusively serve patients that have been diagnosed. Other hospitals continue to care for regular patients. I have no info on overcrowding, supply shortages or staff infections. Or what’s happening in the rural areas. All of that information is being tightly controlled by the government.
The one development I have seen on WeChat is that they’re building the pop-up type hospitals that were built in Wuhan, all over the province. There has been no word as to when the quarantine protocols will be relaxed. As for now, food seems to be readily available. But you cannot walk, drive or do anything in public. We’re just relieved that our family is okay, and they should be able to ride this out for the foreseeable future.
= new reply since forum marked as read
I think it will be so much worse here.
